Jon Jones is steadfast in his fans’ desire to see him fight the interim heavyweight champion of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Tom Aspinall.
Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fans have not seen undisputed UFC heavyweight Jones in action since he lost the title in a vacant fight against Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 in March 2023 (watch highlights). Although Jones was booked to defend his title against Stipe Miocic Afterwards, the planned UFC 295 fight in November 2023 fell through after Jones suffered a torn pectoral muscle.
In Jones’ absence, Englishman Aspinall has held the position at the top of the UFC’s toughest division and defended the interim title against Sergei Pavlovich (View highlights) and Curtis Blaydes (Watch highlights) Despite all his success and his official title as interim champion, Jones and the UFC are not backing down on the Miocic fight, prompting Jones to go on a tirade on Twitter today (Tuesday, August 20, 2024).
“Looks like Tom is showing off his incredible UK wrestling,” Jones tweeted a video of Aspinall wrestling. “My focus is on Stipe, he actually wrestled in Division 1. Best heavyweight ever at the moment. Maybe one day Tom will break Stipe’s record, right now I’m focused on goat stuff.”
“Haha, man, you guys have really been begging me lately,” he continued. “Is the heavyweight division really that boring without me? The beauty of my position is that I’m not defined by one fight. Most of you grew up watching me win.”
Jones’ inevitable fight with Miocic was expected to be a double retirement fight, making the insistence on having the title on the line more questionable to some in the community. From Miocic’s perspective, Jones will be his last fight “100 percent,” according to the UFC CEO. Dana White.
Even as 2024 approaches, Jones keeps hinting that it could actually be his last.
“I think there was a video recently where I said that after Stipe, Francis (Ngannou) was the only fight I cared about,” Jones tweeted. “The video was taken over a year ago. It was taken before I got injured, before an intern champion was crowned. I had already stated that I was not interested in any more random fights. Now I magically avoid a fight that was never negotiated or discussed at any important table. Lol I’m sticking to my plans, Jon Jones isn’t jumping for anyone. How many belts does it take? How many times do I have to break my own record?
“There are literally fighters all over the world who secretly think, ‘I can beat Jon Jones,'” he continued. “There’s not going to be any statues of you. Go out there and win more, get your name out there, that’s the only way you’re going to do it.”
“I’m 37 years old now and I’ve kicked everyone’s ass,” Jones concluded. “My job is to finish strong and make a great movie. (winky kiss emoji) Join me Tom Brady, Floyd Mayweatherand all the other tough guys in retirement.”
Jones is nearly 40 years old and has suffered minimal damage and wear and tear in his 29-fight career (27-1, 1 no contest). He was a regular titleholder in the 2010s as the top light heavyweight, but has fought only twice this decade, including a win over Gane. Jones previously closed the 205-pound chapter of his career with a unanimous decision title defense against Dominick Reyes at UFC 247 in February 2020.
“Feels good to know that at the end your sport was literally begging you to keep going,” Jones tweeted. “You never know, maybe the UFC will make me an offer I can’t refuse. From my perspective, (the win over Miocic) seems like a great way to finish this good work I started so long ago.”
