Islam Makhachev's coach dismisses narrative that Jon Jones ducked Tom Aspinall fight: "Fighters are fighters"

Coach Javier Mendez recently shared his thoughts on the idea that Jon Jones ducked a fight against Tom Aspinall. The veteran MMA coach rubbished such narratives and made it clear that elite fighters "aren't afraid of anyone."

After months of chasing a title unification fight against Jones, Aspinall was promoted from interim to undisputed UFC heavyweight champion last month due to 'Bones' vacating the throne and calling it a career. In the aftermath, many began wondering whether Jones retired to avoid entering the cage against Aspinall.

In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Mendez dismissed the notion that Jones hung up his gloves to duck Aspinall and said:

"A lot of things are made in between negotiations, and you never know what’s real and what’s not real. One thing I do know in my heart, in all the years I’ve been training fighters: Fighters are not afraid of anyone. So when people say, ‘Oh, he doesn’t want to fight.’ OK, then why are you here then? Fighters are fighters."

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He continued:

"The circumstances may prevent them from taking a fight because maybe there’s not the right amount of money, maybe is not this, but it’s not the opponent. The timing, money, something that’s involved, but it’s never I’m afraid of that fighter. Never. I will refuse to believe that any real fighter will always avoid something. I don’t think so. I don’t believe that." [H/t: MMA Junkie]

Watch the full interview below:

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Daniel Cormier explains why Tom Aspinall "needs" Jon Jones for his legacy

Daniel Cormier believes Tom Aspinall's legacy will always have a Jon Jones-sized hole in it if they never fight. The UFC icon recently weighed in on Jones retiring without giving Aspinall the opportunity to fight him.

During a recent conversation with Demetrious Johnson, Cormier also brought up breaks in the lineal championship "line" and said:

"Tom needs Jon. He does, bro... I'm only telling this as a guy who lived in that world. I also never beat him [Jones]. No matter what I did going forward, it was always like, 'Oh, you never beat Jon Jones.' Tom Aspinall is going to get that belt and there's going to be a gap. That lineal championship breaks, that line breaks, when Tom goes from interim to champion because Jon never gave him the opportunity to fight him."

He continued:

"Francis [Ngannou] was going to give Jon Jones an opportunity, Jon wasn't ready to take it at the time. So it keeps breaking."

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Edited by Nishant Zende.