Rankings Shakeup: Ought to Jon Jones be larger than Tom Aspinall on the heavyweight record?

Jon Jones wears the crown, however Tom Aspinall has put within the work.

So who is actually MMA’s No. 1 heavyweight?

At UFC 309 this previous Saturday, Jones returned from a 20-month layoff to defend his share of the UFC heavyweight title, scoring a lopsided knockout of the legendary Stipe Miocic. He’s now 2-0 since transferring up from mild heavyweight, the division he dominated for a decade.

Aspinall wears an interim title, having received it at UFC 295 (when Jones and Miocic had been first imagined to struggle) and efficiently defended it in opposition to Curtis Blaydes this previous July. That win avenged the lone loss—which got here by the use of damage after simply 15 seconds of motion—of Aspinall’s profession, boosting his document within the UFC heavyweight division to 8-1.

One man is 8-1 with a number of wins over prime present competitors, the opposite man is 2-0 with one spectacular win over an opponent who was top-3 on the time and and the opposite in opposition to a 42-year-old who actually had one foot out the door as he fortunately retired after.

The reply to this debate appears apparent, however Jones remains to be the “undisputed” champion based on the UFC and his undefeated mystique carries quite a lot of cachet. However he’s 37 now, unlikely to ever struggle Aspinall, and appears to have little interest in preventing any ranked opponents within the heavyweight division.

For the MMA Combating voting panel, these information not solely preserve Jones out of the highest spot, they preserve him out of the No. 2 spot. Make no mistake, it doesn’t matter what the UFC tells you, Jon Jones isn’t the No. 1 heavyweight proper now and he has by no means been the No. 1 heavyweight. He’s simply the man who has their belt.

Aspinall stays No. 1 with Ngannou taking the No. 2 spot, each fighters tied to Jones matchups that the UFC machine has been unable or unwilling to fabricate. Because it stands, this dialogue will rage on so long as all three males are lively.

Wouldn’t or not it’s good if there was a way for them to settle this dispute?

Try the most recent version of the MMA Combating heavyweight rankings and tell us the place you rank Jones within the ballot beneath.