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Jon Jones Says Aspinall Is Mentally Weak – ‘Lets Me Know A Lot About Him’

Originally posted on BoxingNews.com | Last updated Oct 28, 2025 12:57 AM ET

The feud between Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall continues, with Jones questioning Tom’s mental toughness.

Aspinall has come under fire following his first UFC Heavyweight Title defense, which ended in a no-contest against Ciryl Gane at UFC 321. The fight was stopped following the first round after Aspinall could not fight following eye pokes in both eyes from Gane. Aspinall’s behavior received a mixed response, with some justifying the decision to not fight, while others suggested he showed a lack of heart.

Jones initially responded by posting an image of a duck with an eye patch on his Instagram to mock Tom, while Alex Pereria shook his head while watchting the fight. Jones and Pereira then spoke about fighting at the UFC White House card with a view to making the heavyweight division great again. Jones now claims that Aspinall’s very first professional loss in 2015, a submission defeat via heel hook to Stuart Austin, showed mental weakness. In an unreleased interview recorded six months ago, Jones said Aspinall tapped out “so quickly.”

Jon Jones accused Tom Aspinall of quitting in an unreleased interview from 6 months ago

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“There’s a video that hasn’t gone viral. But one of his (Tom Aspinall’s) losses — he was very much an adult, I believe, already a [Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu] black belt, and he was taken down and the guy twisted his ankle. He had no defense, he tapped so quickly. There was no — I had a fight where I got armbar’d, and I was literally willing to let someone break my arm before giving up. Vitor Belfort. With Tom, the moment he felt any pressure on his ankle, he tapped immediately, which lets me know a lot about him,” Jones said

The Reality

Things don’t look good for Aspinall in light of his rivals. Pereira’s loss to Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313 reportedly came, just as he had multiple injuries, including a cracked shin and a badly hurt left hand, entering the fight. Alex did not disclose those issues, but still went ahead with the fight. Pereira also had broken his toe a few weeks before his UFC 300 fight with Jamahal Hill, but still knocked him out.

Even in his latest victory at UFC 320 where he knocked out Ankalaev to reclaim the light heavyweight title, Pereira revealed he broke his foot with an early leg kick but continued the fight, securing the finish just 80 seconds later.

Jones’ most famous example of fighting through severe damage came at UFC 159 against Chael Sonnen, where he suffered a compound fracture to his big toe in the first round. Jones continued the round, finished the fight, and was only made aware of the injury by his corner after the bout ended, as he secured the win. Unfortunately, those are comparisons Aspinall will have to deal with.

This article first appeared on BoxingNews.com and was syndicated with permission.

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