Khabib Nurmagomedov believes ‘past his prime’ Jon Jones isn’t better than Tom Aspinall

The Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall saga has caused a divide among the mixed martial arts fanbase, and Khabib Nurmagomedov is the latest to weigh in on the debate.

‘The Eagle’ has been retired for almost half a decade, but remains in greatest of all time talks. The Dagestani is among the biggest names the sport has ever produced, but he believes a fellow great in Jones isn’t at the level he once was.

Jon Jones recently announced his return from a short two-week retirement, but Khabib Nurmagomedov isn’t sure it’s a good idea. 

According to Khabib, Jones hasn’t looked at his best for some years.

“I mean, he’s like 38 now,” Khabib said. “But no, he’s been gone for a while, let’s be honest.”

“How many fights has he had in the last five years? One? One or two in five years.”

Khabib then referred to Jones' less-than-impressive performances against Thiago Santos and Dominick Reyes as a reference to where the former two-division champion is at in his career.

“He’s been done for a while, and even those last fights — Santos and Reyes — they were controversial.”

“You know, kind of, his prime was clearly behind him.”

“Then he fought Ciryl Gane — I think they just gave him the money. That’s it.”

“Everyone has their prime, and his was long past.”

The undefeated Russian took the opportunity to give Tom Aspinall his flowers, believing he was the best heavyweight in the world.

“So whether or not he should’ve fought Aspinall, that question will probably always be out there...”

“Right now, yeah, to me Aspinall is the best heavyweight in the world.”

Despite things looking unlikely at one stage, rumors of Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall have begun heating up once again after the UFC event at the White House was announced. 

Listen to Khabib Nurmagomedov's thoughts on the fight below.