Francis Ngannou’s Coach Says Tom Aspinall Has More ‘Upside’ Than Jon Jones

Francis Ngannou’s coach, Eric Nicksick, claims Tom Aspinall currently has more “upside” than UFC heavyweight champ Jon Jones.

A highly-anticipated clash between Ngannou and Jones never came to fruition under the UFC banner, with “The Predator” exiting the promotion due to failed contract negotiations earlier this year. Jones went to win the vacant strap with a submission win over Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 in March. He was slated to defend the strap against Stipe Miocic at UFC 295 on Nov. 11.

However, Jones was forced out of the matchup due to injury and Aspinall claimed the interim title with a first-round knockout of Sergei Pavlovich in short-notice co-main event at UFC 295. Despite his title win, Aspinall is currently in a complicated position with Jones expected to return sometime next year and face Miocic. The winner of Jones-Miocic would presumably face Aspinall at a later date.

Nicksick, meanwhile, revealed that he’s had his eyes on Aspinall dating back to Ngannou’s reign as heavyweight champion.

“I got all the receipts, boys, I’ve been telling everybody for a long time that Tom Aspinall was the guy,” Nicksick said on the Anik & Florian podcast. “I think people forgot about him due to that knee injury that he suffered in the London card against Curtis Blaydes. I felt like that was gonna be his coming out party. Unfortunately, it was an injury instead and he was out for a period of time. But, as a coach in the division, at the time having Francis Ngannou, you start to look at the landscape of possible competition as it comes up through the rankings, and I think Tom Aspinall to me was 1A.”

While Nicksick admits that Jones’ legacy is undeniable, he is confident that Aspinall has big things ahead of him. However, Nicksick still believes Jones would be a more difficult matchup for Ngannou at this current point in time.

“I mean, you have to go with the guy who’s considered the G.O.A.T. I would have to say Jon Jones, just because of pedigree, history, the man that Jon Jones is, and the champion that he is,” Nicksick said. “But I think upside? Upside definitely goes to Tom Aspinall. Tom Aspinall reminds me of a Francis Ngannou in a lot of ways, I still think his athleticism is just scratching the surface. I think there’s a lot more that you’re gonna see from Aspinall as far as his growth and maturation goes.”