Tom Aspinall is ‘the biggest loser’ amid Jon Jones retirement news

In the mind of one former UFC fan favorite, Tom Aspinall lost the most following Jon Jones’ retirement.

Fight fans were hoping that Jones vs. Aspinall would be booked, but “Bones” informed the UFC that he’s done with prizefighting. It’s the end of a legendary career with some bumps in the road outside of the Octagon for Jones. As for Aspinall, he’s now the undisputed UFC Heavyweight Champion and his division gets a chance to move forward.

So, why is Aspinall being labeled the “biggest loser” in this whole deal?

RELATED: ESPN’S STEPHEN A. SMITH CRITICIZES JON JONES FOR RETIRING BEFORE TOM ASPINALL FIGHT

Did Tom Aspinall Lose More Than Anyone?

During an episode of MMAFighting.com‘s “The Fighter vs. The Writer,” former UFC standup specialist Matt Brown wasn’t shy in his assessment of the situation. He believes Tom Aspinall walks away from the Jon Jones saga the opposite of a winner.

“It’s almost like Jon has something against Tom Aspinall,” Brown said. “Like he just wanted to completely ruin his life in every way possible, and he’s doing a great job of it. It puts Tom in a tough spot. He’s definitely the biggest loser in this whole thing. It makes it difficult for him.

“Like where does he go from here? He fights Ciryl Gane, the guy Jon beat in two minutes? Or Jailton Almeida? Almeida lost to [Curtis Blaydes]. The heavyweight division isn’t what it was.”

The matter is entirely out of Aspinall’s control. The newly-minted undisputed UFC heavyweight titleholder simply wanted the division to move forward whether he fought Jones or not. He even scoffed at those who compared his situation to Michael Chandler waiting for Conor McGregor. Aspinall insisted that moving the heavyweight division forward was more important than fighting Jones, and he finally gets his wish.