Jon Jones was as dominant as he’s ever been in his heavyweight title fight with Stipe Miocic. He deserves a lot of applause for his latest display of brilliance in the Octagon, but let’s not dwell on it for too long because there are much more important things on the horizon.

With Miocic out of the way, Jones can finally turn his attention to the fight we should have gotten instead: a title-unifying showdown with interim champion Tom Aspinall.

Jones, the former light heavyweight champion and one of the greatest fighters ever, met Miocic in the main event of Saturday’s UFC 309 card at the hallowed Madison Square Garden in New York City. His fight with the 42-year-old two-time former champion – widely regarded as the best heavyweight in UFC history – marked his first defense of the title he won with a quick victory over Ciryl Gane early last year.

Jones really made it look easy.

He started the fight by hitting an extremely slick sweep takedown, climbing to top position and raining down his trademark elbows with such ferocity that Miocic may have been saved by the bell at the end of the round, of which commentator Joe Rogan said he scored 10. -8.

Despite his success on the mat in the first round – and his pre-fight goal of becoming the first man to submit Miocic – Jones stopped wrestling in the second round and instead began putting the former champion on his feet. He was so successful that Rogan noted that Miocic was “hesitant to close the distance.”

Rogan’s co-commentator and former opponent of Jones and Miocic, Daniel Cormier, meanwhile, bluntly claimed that the former heavyweight king looked “slow.” Play-by-play man Jon Anik finally stated that what we saw “was nothing like the Miocic who fought Daniel Cormier three times.”

After dropping two lopsided rounds, Miocic came out with gusto in the third, landing his best punches of the fight early on, but ultimately he couldn’t escape the round. After being rocked by Jones’ right hand, he absorbed a spinning kick to the body that immediately deflated him. A few follow-up ground strikes later, Jones had officially defended his heavyweight title with a third-round TKO.

“He’s really good,” Jones said after his win against Rogan. “He’s really durable. I hit him with some pretty good shots… It’s like fighting the Terminator. It’s very frustrating to fight someone who doesn’t react.

“He doesn’t react much to a punch in the face, so we planned to work on the body.”

The performance impressed the commentators – especially Rogan, who finally realized that Miocic, who hadn’t fought since being brutally knocked out by heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in 2021, probably had no business in the Octagon to begin with.

“Jon looked really good,” Rogan said. “Not Stipe.

“How much of that was what Jones was doing, and how much of that was how much does Stipe have left?”

It’s a fair question, and the truth is that Miocic’s age and inactivity likely played almost as big a role in his loss as Jones’ incredible skill. He should never have returned to the Octagon – at least not for a title fight with Jones – and the craziest part is that he didn’t have to.

A much better, immediately available fight was possible, and one that – unlike the UFC decision making – fans clearly wanted to see more. That would be the Aspinall fight.

The hulking 31-year-old Brit Tom Aspinall won 8-1 inside the Octagon, with his only loss coming due to an accidental leg injury in a 2022 fight with Curtis Blaydes. He won the interim title with a quick knockout of Sergei Pavlovich on last year’s NYC card and defended his title with a quick knockout victory in a rematch with Blaydes on home soil this summer.

Aspinall never had to defend his interim title. At the time he became interim champion, he should have been guaranteed a fight against undisputed champion Jones, but the UFC went ahead with their plans for Miocic anyway.

The good news is that the stage is finally set for this to happen.

Heading into UFC 309, Jones repeatedly claimed he had no interest in fighting Aspinall – if he didn’t retire after beating Miocic.

Ultimately, he decided not to retire.

“As far as my future in the Octagon is concerned, I have decided that I may not retire,” he said to loud cheers from the fans in the arena.

Jones then admitted that while he will have to do some negotiating with Dana White and Hunter Campbell, he is willing to give the fans “what they want.” While Rogan inexplicably took this to mean a fight with light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira – which White has already pulled out – Jones was clearly talking about the title unification with Aspinall.

Not only does Aspinall deserve this opportunity, but it will be perhaps the toughest test of Jones’ career. He will be bigger than the former light heavyweight champion, but moves like a heavyweight himself and has proven he can finish fights from any position, with 11 knockouts and four submissions, including his 15 career wins. He has stopped the UFC’s best heavyweights in minutes and sometimes seconds, and while he would most likely be a moderate underdog against Jones, he clearly has all the tools necessary to beat the champion.

And you know, he’s only 31. Unlike Miocic, who retired with woefully little fanfare after his UFC 309 loss, he’s actually in his prime.

Time will tell how long Jones’ negotiations with the UFC last and how ugly they will get, but when he is offered a deal he is happy with, it will be time to sign up for the Aspinall fight.

It’s his duty as the undisputed champion, and whether he sees it or not, it’s his chance to make sure he’s not remembered for ending his career by avoiding the toughest challenge there is.