When it comes to the fight between Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall in the UFC, Rashad Evans admits there’s part of him that actually hopes it never happens.
Now make no mistake, the former UFC light heavyweight champion and UFC Hall of Famer loves the fight, but he also knows the stakes for Jones, who is widely considered the greatest fighter of all time with a nearly unblemished record outside of his lone loss, which came via disqualification. In terms of career accomplishments, Jones essentially sits in a category all his own.
But Evans explains why as much as he would love to see Jones fight Aspinall, he also recognizes the potential downside of that matchup.
“Here’s the thing I’m kind of torn about it,” Evans told MMA Fighting. “I feel like the part of me, the fan side of me definitely wants to see it. I want to see it for sure. But the other part of me who’s like very impressed with what Jon Jones is able to do, want to see him go out on top and not even have to [fight again].
“Because there’s the thing about it, there’s always going to be somebody. He beats Tom Aspinall, people [will say] yeah, there’s this new guy. There’s always going to be that last dragon to vanquish. Part of me can respect him for not taking the fight, but another part of me is just like man, you better step the f*ck up and beat this boy. I’m kind of mixed about it to be honest.”
Part of Jones’ argument against facing Aspinall has largely boiled down to the British heavyweight’s overall resume along with similar concerns that if he wins, there’s immediately going to be another challenger waiting in the wings.
By almost every measure possible, Jones has done more than enough to retire now and his legacy is set in stone but how much does that potentially change if he loses?
Evans says that’s the other part of his argument against the fight because he knows age eventually catches up to everyone and Jones isn’t immune from getting older.
“Here’s a thing that’s a sure thing — eventually time will get you,” Evans said. “No matter who you are, Jon has been very blessed inside the octagon and he’s been able to really remain undefeated and look good doing it despite his close fights.
“But eventually, you hang in a barbershop long enough, you will get a haircut. You’re going to get clipped one time. I’m on the page of you know what, you did it. Just chill out.”
While Evans was once very close with Jones when they were both training out of Greg Jackson’s gym in New Mexico, he hasn’t spoken to his former teammate for quite some time.
That’s why Evans can’t speak to Jones’ current mentality about fighting or the potential end of his career but he knows it’s really hard for some athletes to walk away when the sport has become their entire identity.
“I don’t know Jon Jones now and I don’t know if there’s a part of him that needs this in a way,” Evans said. “There’s sometimes that you can be in something for so long that it just becomes so much a part of who you are, rediscovering yourself in a different frame outside of it is maybe not something that you’re ready to explore and maybe not something you’re ready to give up.
“I don’t know Jon Jones right now so I don’t know if that’s even a narrative that’s even in his concern.”
Evans can speak from personal experience about his own career when he decided it was time to hang up his gloves and he wasn’t sure which direction he was headed without being recognized for fighting any longer.
It took him a lot of time and soul searching to finally walk a different path and now Evans is resolved in his identity both inside and outside the cage. Evans doesn’t know if that’s even a subject that Jones has broached while considering the potential end of his career.
“I went through hell,” Evans said. “I went through literal hell just rediscovering who I was. A lot of questioning myself, questioning my decisions, reliving some painful memories and decisions that I made and just a lot of soul searching. Some people are not up for that. Some people find it hard to do that and they find themselves soothing themselves with some kind of habit that ends up being a deteriorating factor for them healthwise.
“I just hope for him that he’s able to make that transition. Because the problems outside the octagon, they take on a different complexion when you are no longer a pay-per-view star.”
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