Jones: 'My legacy will be just fine' without fighting Aspinall

UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones is arguably the greatest fighter of all time, and he doesn't believe skipping a fight with Tom Aspinall would change that.

"My legacy will be just fine," Jones wrote Friday on X, replying to a user who said his legacy would be stained if he retires without fighting Aspinall. "I've done way too much work in this game. There (are) people around the world that (have) been watching me fight since they can remember.

"(Aspinall) would have to go on and win 10 championships at least in order for that to happen. The work I put in - that body of work ain't getting touched no time soon."

Jones is expected to make the first defense of his title against former champion Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 on Nov. 16 at New York's Madison Square Garden. The 37-year-old has been sidelined since March 2023 after suffering a torn pectoral muscle that ruled him out of a scheduled bout with Miocic last November.

In Jones' absence, Aspinall captured the interim heavyweight title and has defended it once, most recently knocking out Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 in July. Though Aspinall is ranked just below Jones and most deserving of a crack at undisputed gold, Jones and the UFC brass have stayed committed to the Miocic fight. Miocic is widely considered the greatest heavyweight in UFC history but hasn't stepped into the Octagon since a 2021 loss.

Jones, who held the UFC light heavyweight title for years before moving up to heavyweight in 2023, has teased that he could retire after facing Miocic. White, on the other hand, said earlier this week he believes Jones will stick around to fight Aspinall should he beat Miocic. Jones tweeted Friday that he has "options."

"I definitely appreciate all the attention (Aspinall) gives me," wrote Jones, who has traded jabs with the interim champ on social media in recent days. "I'm more relevant than ever. Haven't even fought. It's an amazing thing."