UFC CEO Dana White has a logjam atop his heavyweight division.
The category’s official champion, Jon Jones, has fought just once in the division (and once overall dating back to pre-Covid times) but Tom Aspinall’s rise to to the summit of the heavyweight fold, as evidenced by his UFC 304 defence of his interim heavyweight crown against Curtis Blaydes, has had many pondering as to who is the rightful person at the top of the hill.
Jones, who has been out of action due to a pectoral injury he sustained in training last year, is heavily linked to a fight with former champ Stipe Miocic, possibly in New York in November, but White says that should Jones be successful he expects his champion to stick around to challenge himself against Aspinall. Both Jones and Miocic have been linked in the media to retiring post-fight, however no firm declarations have yet been made to that effect — especially as it relates to Jones.
“Stipe 100 percent is going to retire after this fight,” White told combat sports reporter Kevin Iole in a recent interview, as noted by MMA Fighting.
“Listen, Jon Jones, you know how I talk about Jon Jones and what I think of Jon Jones as a fighter — Jon Jones always loves to challenge himself, moved up to heavyweight.
“I don’t know what Jon Jones will do after this fight, but I would be shocked if he didn’t want to test himself against Aspinall.”
Aspinall, for his part, has made clear that his next fight will be for the undisputed championship, regardless of who that comes against — and White says that the bout should have allure for Jones too.
“[It’s] undebatable what this guy has accomplished in his career,” White said of Jones, “and if he beats Stipe and he comes out and fights Tom Aspinall and beats him, it’s already undeniable — nobody, I don’t care how much you dislike Jon Jones for what he’s done, this isn’t about personally who Jon Jones is and do you like him, we’re talking about the baddest dude to ever walk the face of the Earth in combat sports already — if he goes out and beats Tom Aspinall, he cements his legacy as the greatest fighter of all-time.”
