As the UFC schedule gets underway in 2025, perhaps the biggest ‘what if’ surrounding the sport remains whether or not Jon Jones actually unifies the heavyweight titles in a fight against Tom Aspinall.
Jones vs. Aspinall is arguably the most anticipated fight of the year with UFC CEO Dana White going as far as saying he guarantees the bout happens over the next 12 months. While Aspinall certainly deserves the opportunity at becoming undisputed heavyweight champion, Jones has repeatedly shrugged off his challenge and more recently taken aim at a potential superfight against Alex Pereira instead.
In fact, Jones has gone as far as saying he would vacate his UFC title for the chance to face off with somebody like Pereira, who has become of the biggest stars on the entire roster after claiming titles across two divisions in just seven total fights in the promotion. But former light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz believes that Jones’ motivation to seek out Pereira doesn’t come down to money or legacy but rather avoiding a potential disaster going up against the heavyweight boogeyman in Aspinall.
“I think [Jon Jones] does this because Alex Pereira is now a big star in the UFC,” Blachowicz told MMA Fighting. “Everybody knows him. He knows what he’s doing. But I believe he should fight against Aspinall, but I think he’s a little bit afraid of him.
“Because Aspinall is someone who can really stop him and beat him. I think he believes if he can fight against Pereira, he can take him down, control him, maybe something like this. With Aspinall, it will be not so easy.”
In many ways, Blachowicz showed off the blueprint on how to beat Pereira when he nearly stopped the Brazilian’s rise to the top of the 205-pound division before it ever got started.
Blachowicz battled to a razor-close split decision when he faced Pereira in his light heavyweight debut while employing a grappling heavy strategy that negated many of the former GLORY Kickboxing champion’s best and most dangerous weapons.
As efficient as Blachowicz has been with his wrestling and takedowns, Jones is possibly one of the most lethal ground technicians to ever compete in MMA and that’s a clear and present danger to somebody like Pereira.
Meanwhile, Aspinall is a legit heavyweight with knockout power in both hands and a world-class submission arsenal at his disposal. On his way to an 8-1 record in the UFC — with the one loss coming after blowing out his knee just seconds into a fight — Aspinall has demolished seven of his opponents in the first round and taking out the eighth in the second round.
“It would be a very tough fight for Jon Jones with Aspinall,” Blachowicz said. “That’s why, he knows what’s going to happen, that’s why he doesn’t talk too much about Aspinall. But we will see. Maybe they’ve got some plans for them. Maybe they are waiting, money will be bigger and they take the fight.”
Obviously, Blachowicz can’t predict the future but he’s got a vested interest in what happens to Pereira because he’s been seeking out that rematch after since their first fight ended.
It remains to be seen what actually happens in 2025 but Blachowicz can’t help but wonder if Jones is looking for one final payday against a beatable opponent before then riding off into the sunset for the final time.
“Maybe he would like to fight against Pereira, don’t lose and maybe finish his career,” Blachowicz said. “You’d have to ask him not me.”
