Tom Aspinall is not the only one who wants to fight Jon Jones. For Khamzat Chimaev, fighting the heavyweight champ is also a “dream fight” for him and he could see himself winning against the icon if he were given the chance to enter the cage with him.
Chimaev is considered one of the most promising fighters on the UFC roster with his clean 13-0-0 slate. The Russian fighter’s last fight was announced as the No. 1 contender fight in the middleweight division, and although the title shot didn’t materialize due to his injury, he remains an attractive opponent in the class weight.
Needless to say, “Borz” has a plan to wear the belt someday and make a mark in the industry. One thing that could make that happen is a fight with Jones, whom he idolizes despite being in a different division. Unfortunately, “Bones” is reportedly nearing his retirement. Yet, if Chimaev is to be asked, he would want to fight Jones, expressing his hope for the postponement of the veteran’s retirement.
“Jon Jones still is the best fighter in the world right now,” Chimaev said on the Smile 2 Jannah podcast. “He has most title defenses, he’s a two-weight class champion, he never lost still. He’s the youngest champion in UFC (history). If you speak about MMA, everyone knows Jon Jones. In history, (there is) nobody like him.
“So for sure he’s dream match for everyone who wants to be in the history (books). I’m younger than him. I hope he’s not going to go soon from this job, get this fight as well. When I (grew) up – I like him, I like his training. I watched his training, I learned a lot of stuff from him. We spoke about training so we can maybe train together. He’s a nice guy. We were speaking and joking around.”
The 29-year-old recalled Jones fighting his Alexander Gustafsson, who’s currently training with him. And if “The Mauler” got the chance to face the legend, Chimaev also deserves the chance to fight Jones. The two are currently in different class weights, but for the Russian, there is a chance of him defeating the heavyweight champion.
“Depends which weight class,” Chimaev answered when asked who would win if they fought both in their best versions of themselves. “He’s now a heavyweight. You’re asking me? For sure I think I will win. That’s a hard fight for everyone.”
