Sports television personality Stephen A. Smith sees UFC Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones as the “best on the planet” and can’t picture anybody getting the better of him, Tom Aspinall included.
Smith provided his reaction to Jones’ latest performance — a TKO victory over Stipe Miocic in the main event of UFC 309 — on a recent episode of First Take alongside Shannon Sharpe on ESPN.
The former light heavyweight kingpin added a first successful heavyweight defense to his record at Madison Square Garden, stopping the returning Miocic with a brutal spinning side kick to the body in round three.
No sooner had Jones had his hand raised in “The Big Apple,” talk turned to a much-awaited title unification fight with interim champ Aspinall, who was cageside at MSG after weighing in as backup for the main event last Friday.
But while Jones’ repeated dismissal of the Brit has led some to suggest he fears defeat, Smith isn’t entertaining that as a possibility.
“I think he’s the best on the planet. He’s the greatest in MMA that I’ve ever seen,” Smith said. “I’ve always said to everybody, you’ve got to show me to make me believe that somebody’s going to beat Jon ‘Bones’ Jones, ’cause I just don’t see it happening. He’s just too elite.”
When a clip of his remarks was posted on X, Aspinall’s fellow countryman, ex-UFC title challenger Darren Till, made his thoughts on Smith clear…
“Stephen A Smith has the IQ of a mole,” Till wrote. “Please ban this man from ever speaking about anything ever again.”
Smith has previously caught the ire of the MMA community, most notably when he suggested Donald Cerrone “didn’t want to be there” when he was blitzed by Conor McGregor in 40 seconds at UFC 246.
