You wonder, in 1996 after Michael Jordan had won four NBA MVPs, four championships, led the league in scoring eight times, been named Defensive Player of the Year, and made seven All-Defensive teams, was there anything left that could have truly changed how we viewed him?
He went on to win another MVP, another title, led the league in scoring two more times, and made the All-NBA First Team twice. But did any of it really alter the perception that was already cemented by the end of the 1996 season?
I thought about that while pondering Jon Jones, and what it might mean for the UFC heavyweight champion’s legacy if he walks away from the sport without ever fighting interim champ Tom Aspinall.
It’s one of the rare heavyweight matchups in UFC history that feels so compelling, so essential, that fans aren’t just hoping for it, they’re begging for it.
The fight hasn’t been made and, frankly, doesn’t appear close. All we have are repeated assurances from UFC CEO Dana White that the fight will occur.
“Don’t worry,” White has said more often in the last year than Bobby McFerrin ever sang it.
Sorry, Dana, but I’m worried. And I can’t be happy until Jones is walking down the aisle to face Aspinall in what would be the most significant heavyweight fight in UFC history, clearly one of the most significant in the sport’s history, regardless of division.
Aspinall’s literally begged for the fight. He can’t seem to grasp that by publicly pleading for Jones to fight him so much, he’s giving power to Jones.
Jones loves to mess with his opponents, and Aspinall gives him more incentive to keep it up whenever Aspinall speaks publicly about the bout.
Aspinall, though, is a 265-pound jiu-jitsu black belt who moves like a welterweight and has crushing punching power. The fight is big because Aspinall has everything he needs to win it, and that hasn't been the case often in Jones' career.
Everyone who cares even a little about MMA knows that Aspinall is desperate to fight Jones. Those who don’t know that aren’t really fans and aren’t going to make much of a difference in the fight’s performance business-wise.
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Michael Jordan (L) didn't need a sixth NBA title to certify his greatness.
No one who has paid a shred of attention to this mess ever could or would blame Aspinall if the bout never occurs.
The onus for that will be squarely on the broad shoulders of 37-year-old Jonathan Dwight Jones.
Jones is widely acknowledged as the greatest fighter in MMA history, and is now, after more than 17 years as a pro, still No. 2 on the UFC’s pound-for-pound list behind Islam Makhachev.
He’s in the position now in MMA where Jordan was in 1996. He’s 28-1 with one no-contest. He was disqualified for using an illegal elbow (that would be legal under today’s rules) in a fight in 2009. And he had a KO win over Daniel Cormier in 2017 changed to a no-contest.
He only came close to losing twice, in a 2013 bout with Alexander Gustafsson and in 2020 against Dominick Reyes.
The reason Jones is so highly regarded, though, is due to his work at light heavyweight. His resume at heavyweight (2-0, wins over Ciryl Gane and 42-year-old Stipe Miocic) is thinner than Manute Bol’s biceps.
If Jones doesn’t fight Aspinall, it’s going to look bad but it’s not going to impact his resume. There are fighters who have lost who are in contention with Jones as the greatest fighter in MMA history, notably Georges St-Pierre, Demetrious Johnson and Anderson Silva, and that’s not hurting their cases.
The only way Jones will be surpassed in the near-term is if someone like Makhachev or former featherweight champion Ilia Topuria goes on an insane roll.
Makhachev is 27-1 with 18 finishes and is 5-0 with four finishes in UFC championship fights. He’s surrendered his lightweight belt and will move up to welterweight to chase that title. If he wins that and runs off a few defenses, things get interesting for Jones.
Topuria has a lot longer to go and much more to do, but he is talented enough and, at 28, young enough, to reach Jones’ level. He’s fighting Charles Oliveira on June 28 in Las Vegas in the main event of UFC 317 for the belt Makhachev vacated.
He’s 16-0 and already has wins over Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway. A win over Oliveira would give him three wins in a row as significant as any three-fight stretch Jones ever put together.
Jones is the proverbial GOAT, but let’s be real: Aspinall is among the most worthy contenders of his career.
If he walks away without fighting Aspinall, he’ll create an opening for Makhachev, Topuria or someone else to step through. And though it won’t shatter his legacy, it will leave behind a what-if his reputation may never shake.
Michael Jordan didn’t need that seventh ring.
Jon Jones? His case is different.
Beat Aspinall, and he locks down his legacy until he’s old and gray.
Skip it, and he looks like he’s ducking Aspinall, the first guy who matches up well with him. If he dodges that bout, he’ll take a beating in the court of public opinion worse than he ever did in the Octagon.
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Interim UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall is desperate to face Jon Jones.