Curtis Blades responded to Jon Jones calling their bout with Aspinall a contender fight
"Whichever one of us wins, I don't think Jon will fight anyone other than Stipe. After the Miocic fight, ...
"Whichever one of us wins, I don't think John will fight anyone other than Stipe. After the Miocic fight, he's going to ride off into the sunset. He likes to come up with different scenarios, like, 'What if I fight Alex Pereira? What if I fight Asinall?' What if my opponent is Blades?' but he just wants to be talked about, and I understand that. The more people talk about you, the more subscribers you have, and that helps with sponsors. Jon Jones knows what he's doing. Do I believe he would risk his legacy in a fight with a guy like me? Of course I don't. Because if he beats me, how does that affect his legacy? That's why I believe the fight with Aspinall is a fight for the reigning champion belt. When I told my family I was going to fight for the belt, I didn't say it was temporary. I said just a belt. Honestly, most casual fans don't understand the difference. They're probably perplexed, 'Why does Aspinall have a belt and Jones has a belt?' They don't understand the concept of an interim title and a current title, and they don't care about that. All they see is a shiny belt that you hold in the octagon. That's all they want. So for me, it's a real belt."
Watch this story: Aspinall isn't fixated on the fight with Jones