UFC 321 was a disastrous event for both Tom Aspinall and the heavyweight division. After a long 14-month wait, Aspinall’s comeback was abruptly halted due to a double eye poke from Ciryl Gane, resulting in a chaotic situation and leaving the 265-pound division at a standstill. Moreover, Jon Jones aggravated the situation by mocking Aspinall on social media, changing his profile picture to a duck with an eye patch.
This jab referenced fans’ beliefs that Jones retired before facing Aspinall for the title. Recently, new footage has emerged of Jones seemingly predicting a similar outcome for Aspinall. In the video, Jones notes Aspinall’s tendency to retreat in challenging situations, an observation many feel perfectly describes the Abu Dhabi encounter.
Jon Jones Ridicules Tom Aspinall’s First MMA Defeat
Tom Aspinall has a professional MMA record of 15-3-0, with his first loss coming from submission. This occurred when he faced Stuart Austin at BAMMA 21 in June 2015, where he tapped out to a heel hook in the second round.
This early defeat has become a focal point for Jones, who has critiqued Aspinall’s purported inclination to surrender under pressure. In footage released by Miami entrepreneur Geoffrey Woo, Jones discussed this topic six months ago during an interview.
In the clip, the former two-division champion examined Aspinall’s first pro loss and likened it to his own fight against Vitor Belfort at UFC 152 in 2012, stating, “There’s a video that hasn’t gone viral.”
Unreleased footage from 6 months ago shows Jon Jones discussing a past fight where Tom Aspinall appeared to give up 😳
“One of his losses, he was taken down and twisted his ankle. He had no defense and he tapped so quickly.
The moment he felt any pressure on his ankle, he… pic.twitter.com/iViOyPWuyC
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) October 27, 2025
Jones further elaborated: “One of his losses — he was already an adult, I believe he was a [Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu] black belt, and was taken down and had his ankle twisted. He didn’t defend and tapped instantly.”
Jones then reflected on his own experience against Belfort, where he endured a severe armbar but refused to quit, ultimately defeating Belfort with an Americana in the fourth round.
Jon Jones Continues to Tease Tom Aspinall on Instagram
This recently uncovered footage only intensifies the scrutiny directed at Aspinall by MMA veterans like Chael Sonnen and UFC CEO Dana White. On top of this, Jones recently shared a comparison on his Instagram Stories, contrasting his quick win over Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 with the duration of the UFC 321 main event between Aspinall and Gane.
😬👀Jon Jones just reposted a graphic comparing his finishing time against Ciryl Gane to Tom Aspinall’s fight time. pic.twitter.com/bdS2yV8yIS
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) October 27, 2025
In just 2 minutes and 4 seconds, Jones captured the vacant heavyweight title by defeating Gane, while the headliner of UFC 321 lasted 4 minutes and 35 seconds before ending in a no-contest due to the unfortunate double eye poke. This comparison was widely interpreted as yet another dig from Jones, highlighting the contrasting fates of both fighters against the same opponent.
