To say Jon Jones is a high-IQ fighter is to say that water is wet. The two-weight champion of the heaviest weight classes has displayed incredible prowess with his ability to change gameplans mid-fight, as seen in his bout against Lyoto Machida at UFC 140, where after initially facing adversity against ‘The Dragon’ in the first round, he ultimately ended up finishing the Brazilian karateka in the second round. Of course, Greg Jackson provided the much-needed perspective for him to make that change, but only a fighter with a presence of mind can implement changes mid-fight while facing adversity.

Tom Aspinall is no stranger to Jon Jones’ high intelligence within the Octagon, either. However, the Englishman also pointed to Jon Jones’ intelligence outside the fighting arena, especially with the American fighter’s business acumen. What exactly is Aspinall referring to? Well, it’s the way ‘Bones’ slipped and slid at the mention of fighting ‘Honey Badger’ using various tactics, like highlighting the Englishman’s ‘unworthiness’ of facing a legend like him. The Brit gave a breakdown of Jones’ intelligence in a conversation with Adam Catterall and Joleon Lescott on TNT Sports.

“I think his IQ in general is very high. Day one as a professional UFC fighter, if someone asks you about some other opponent, and you’re fighting – say I’m fighting Adam this weekend. If someone asks me, ‘Right, what about this guy? [points at Lescott] This other guy who is not involved. I will say, ‘Right, I will get pass him [Alex], and then we’ll speak about him [Lescott]. Jon didn’t do that. I mean Jon immediately said ‘No I don’t wanna fight him.’ Which, the easiest thing in the world would be, ‘I am gonna talk about it after Saturday’.”

Imagining himself as Jones, Adam Catterall as Stipe Miocic, and Joleon Lescott as Tom Aspinall, ‘Honey Badger’ continued, “But he kept bringing that into the conversation, and that is high-level business. Really high level. You don’t know, he’s definitely a smart guy, though. He knows what he’s doing, more than most.”. MMA journalist Adam Catterall concluded that Jones’ antics have only raised the stakes for the much-anticipated fight, with Aspinall agreeing by quoting Dana White calling it ‘the biggest heavyweight fight in UFC history’.

While Tom Aspinall seems calm and collected despite being repeatedly snubbed by Jon Jones, fans have been directing their anger at the heavyweight champion, leveling accusations of him ducking the Englishman. While not leveling the same accusations as fans, former UFC fighter Jason Miller shared a similar sentiment.

“Straight Thrash” – Jason Miller reprimanded the fight between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic

Jason Miller has been out of the scene for more than a decade now. However, he’s still the same unhinged, outspoken personality fans had grown to love. While speaking to Helen Yee, ‘Mayhem’ thrashed the UFC 309 headliner, despite it being an incredible performance by Jon Jones. He said, “I thought it was garbage, straight trash. I hope Stipe got paid a lot for that fight. It’s pissed me off right now.” 

The TUF 14 coach basically echoed what fans have been rallying for – Jon Jones needs to fight Tom Aspinall. He recalled the times when more established fighters like Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson and Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua gave Jones the opportunity to face them. While not picking a clear winner between ‘Bones’ and ‘Honey Badger’, Miller said that the fight can easily be made even if Jones is demanding ‘f**k you money’.

“Dana has enough money to pay the guy. So pay those guys what they’re worth, and you know, [let’s] have the fight that we want.”, said ‘Mayhem’ Miller of what could potentially be the biggest heavyweight fight in UFC history. All may not be lost for fans, as there is a semblance of a conversation happening between the two heavyweight camps, with Dana White in the middle.

Will Dana White do right by Tom Aspinall and give Jon Jones what he wants to make the title unification bout happen? If so, who will emerge the victor? Do let us know in the comments down below.