Former UFC heavyweight fighter turned podcaster Brendan Schaub has once again stirred up controversy in the MMA world with his recent statement claiming that Jon Jones is not the best heavyweight, despite holding the title of world champion.
Last year at UFC 285, Jones secured a victory over Ciryl Gane, earning him the status of a two-weight world champion.
However, he was unable to defend his title against Stipe Miocic in November due to an injury.
Meanwhile, the UFC has named Tom Aspinall as the interim champion.
He secured the belt by knocking out Sergei Pavlovich and is set to defend it against Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 before Jones returns to the cage.
“You’re going to hear this narrative going around from Jon Jones himself, Ciryl Gane and their fans that Tom Aspinall doesn’t deserve it. They’ll say he’s not a real champion, all this stuff.” Schaub said.
“Tom Aspinall is the best heavyweight in the world and anything that you hear from these other camps that represent these other heavyweights? Nobody wants to fight Tom!
“However you want to paint it, oh he hasn’t beat this guy or done this? Whatever makes you feel good to not make this fight is okay, but at the end of the day I don’t think we’ve ever seen fighters at this level scared of another fighter.” he added.
Schaub, known for his outspoken opinions, made the bold declaration on his popular podcast, “The Fighter and The Kid,” sparking widespread debate among fans and fellow fighters alike.
Gane has committed to a movie project for this summer, declining an opportunity to compete for the interim belt.
In the meantime, Jones is considering a match with light-heavyweight champion Alex Pereira instead of pursuing unification in the division.
