1. Jon Jones vs Tom Aspinall
UFC CEO Dana White named this fight the one he was most excited for in 2024. Quite bluntly, he should not be alone.
While the last several years have seen great pining for Jon Jones to face Francis Ngannou, the fact is the business and individuals involved have moved on. It should be noted, the void has created the perfect storm for the rise of surging Englishman Tom Aspinall to emerge as the best heavyweight in the world today. Yes, you read that correctly. Needing only a few minutes to dispatch the likes of Alexander Volkov, Curtis Blaydes, Sergei Spivac, and others, Aspinall has been the heavyweight performing at a high level for the past several years.
Let’s make it clear, Jon Jones will be remembered as the best MMA fighter ever seen for years to come. His resume inside the cage, the names on his record, his career longevity, all of it add up to one of the most dynamic champions ever seen in any sport. His activity has been more infrequent in recent years and it is likely part of the reason why the demand by the fan base to see him fight has been so great. Prior to the cancellation, tickets to his potential retirement bout in 2023 in New York were commanding huge prices on the market. It’s not difficult to understand why, it is as close to the final NBA game of a Michael Jordan or the final NFL game of Tom Brady as MMA could get in today’s iteration of the business.
The fight itself is a perfect storm. The older Jones has yet to stumble inside the cage, and a victory over today’s top performing young heavyweight champion is expected to age like wine should he best the Englishman. For Aspinall, the chance to knock off the consensus GOAT of the sport is motivation enough. The UFC undoubtedly sees the appeal as well, as they would love to have a new superstar to promote with Jones retiring. What could be better as a business in this moment than to have the man who defeated the superstar to be the athlete they push forward?
After a year in which several high profile stars collided, Jones vs Aspinall very much feels like it could be the last of several old guard meeting the new guard blockbuster events that could be made.
