MMA
'Wouldn't have gone well!' - Mario Bautista assesses missed Jon Jones opportunity for Tom Aspinall
Joseph Parker vs. Fabio Wardley only on DAZN PPV
Mario Bautista thinks Tom Aspinall should have had the chance to face Jon Jones, but admits "it wouldn't have gone well" for the latter.
Aspinall was elevated to the UFC Heavyweight Championship strap holder after Jones announced his retirement from the sport this year.
The former had long sought to challenge for the crown, with many pundits and fans feeling that the latter was hesitant to take the risk.
Ahead of his own bout with Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 321 before Aspinall's first defence against Ciryl Gane, Bautista has now weighed in.
"I think he should have got the opportunity," he exclusively told DAZN News. "I would have loved to have seen it. But it's all on Jon Jones.
"I don't think he wanted to take that fight, and I didn't think he would because Tom is on another level. It wouldn't have gone well for Jon."
While Bautista backs Aspinall to defeat Gane, his own bout presents a tough challenge of his own as he seeks to further climb the ranks.
But the star is taking pointers from Merab Dvalishvili's own success in January, and hints that it offers a template to follow for success.
"Without giving anything away, I'm going to handle the pressure and make him do the things that he doesn't want to," he added.
"I think Merab set a good blueprint on how to beat Umar. It will be a back-and-forth type of fight, and I see myself coming out on top."
Watch Parker vs Wardley live on DAZN
Joseph Parker and Fabio Wardley fight on Saturday, October 25, to become the WBO mandatory challenger to Oleksandr Usyk. Watch the fight and undercard live and exclusive on DAZN PPV.
