Demetrious Johnson: ‘Get another fight’

Demetrious Johnson has some advice for UFC Interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall concerning his proposed bout against Jon ‘Bones’ Jones.

Johnson says Aspinall should not wait for Jones as he feels that Aspinall is wasting his prime years.

At UFC London, Aspinall was seen holding a toy duck, possibly hinting at Jones avoiding him.

The heavyweight champ has faced criticism for not fighting Francis Ngannou, and now fans are questioning whether he’ll avoid Aspinall, too.

In recent months, Jones has sent mixed messages about the fight. He claimed that beating Aspinall wouldn’t add to his legacy, but also said he’d fight anyone if the money was right.

“Yes, absolutely (he’s scared). The thing with Jon: Jon is conning the public, man. I’m not disputing that he’s an amazing fighter. I think the fact that he didn’t want to fight (Francis) Ngannou for three years, and now he doesn’t want to fight me over a year, and just the way he manipulates the media, and the public is super smart. I’m not taking anything away from him. But do I think he’s scared to take the tough fights at this stage in his career? Absolutely. I can (understand it). I respect it. But if you’re going to ask me the straight-up question, ‘Is Jon Jones afraid to fight me?’ The honest answer would be yes,” Aspinall said.

Dana White has been adamant about the fight happening this year, but Johnson isn’t convinced that it will happen.

“If I was Tom Aspinall, I’d be like, ‘God, dude, like I’m not waiting six months. Like, y’all need to get me another fight. But then again, this could be the biggest fight of his career if he’s able to beat Jon Jones. I have mixed feelings on the six months. I think that Tom Aspinall should take another fight. I think when you put a athlete who’s very young like that on ice and they don’t get that ring time, they don’t get that opportunity to get out there and just fight and make the money, it’s a little bit different. If I was Tom Aspinall, I’ll say, ‘Jon Jones wants six months, I’m going to pass on that fight, I’m going to fight somebody else, I’ll defend the interim heavyweight championship,” Johnson said.

It will be interesting to see what unfolds in the coming months. If Aspinall doesn’t get a shot at Jones, the intended next target is Ciryl Gane.