Velasquez favors Jones against Aspinall: 'He's a master at this'

Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez believes Jon Jones would get the better of Tom Aspinall if they faced off in the Octagon.

"No, I don't think (Aspinall beats Jones)," Velasquez told "The Ariel Helwani Show" on Tuesday. "Even just watching him, I kind of see his pattern a little bit - in his striking, the way he comes in and strikes. I think Jon sees it, too. Jon studies, man, he does his homework. He's a master at this. He analyzes things, he studies you over and over again. I think just for that reason, he's gonna know what to do. So I don't think (Aspinall) beats Jon, no."

A unification bout between Jones, the heavyweight champ, and Aspinall, the interim titleholder, is one of the biggest matchups the UFC can put together right now. However, there's no guarantee it'll come to fruition. UFC CEO Dana White has said he believes Jones-Aspinall will happen in 2025, though Jones has threatened to retire from MMA if the promotion doesn't give him a superfight against light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira next.

Velasquez, now retired from MMA, was once linked to a matchup against Jones himself. Many wanted to see Jones - the light heavyweight champ at the time - move up in weight to challenge Velasquez for a second title. Velasquez held the heavyweight belt from 2010-11 and then again from 2012-15.

Velasquez, 42, went into further detail why he thinks Jones would beat Aspinall, pointing to Aspinall's aggressiveness on the feet as something Jones would capitalize on.

"When (Aspinall) comes in and attacks, he comes in and attacks. It's 100%, full go," Velasquez said. "He comes in, glides in, lunges in, and does his attack. Not that it's not effective; it is. He's done great things with it. ... But I think the type of guy that Jon Jones is, I think he studies him and he beats him because of that."