Jones and Aspinall have been deep in negotiations over a potential fight – but the champion has received a lot of stick after publicly failing to commit to fighting the Brit
UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones has handed Tom Aspinall a huge blow after admitting he doesn’t care about fighting.
Jones claimed the undisputed prize after defeating Ciryl Gane back in 2023. However, he has only defended the coveted belt once – a knockout victory over Stipe Miocic last November. Since then, both Jones and Aspinall have been deep in negotiations over a unification bout.
However, as of yet, nothing has materialised. The American MMA veteran has received a lot of stick after publicly failing to commit to fighting Aspinall – who has not fought since defending his interim heavyweight title against Curtis Blaydes last July in Manchester.
Recently, UFC president Dana White confirmed that the promotion will move on ‘quickly’ if Jones vs Aspinall has not been finalised in the next few weeks. While his latest interview was conducted prior to White’s comments, it seems as if ‘Bones’ is very much uninterested in competing right now.
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“I don’t want to say that I’m retired because fighting’s in my blood,” Jones told the Full Send podcast. “Right now, I could really care less about fighting. I’ve been doing it my whole life at a very high level and when the itch comes back — and if it comes back — then I’ll do it with my whole heart, do it to the best of my abilities.
“But right now, I look around and realise what’s true, what’s real. I see the way people look at me and the way I make people feel and it’s an extraordinary thing. It’s a true blessing. Now my job is to serve that, give that to my fans, be reachable, touchable. Let them know what I have inside. That’s who I am right now. I’ve punched and kicked enough people.”
As for Aspinall, Jones was quick to compliment the British star before sending a chilling warning: “I think he’s awesome,” Jones said about the interim heavyweight champion. “I think he should go on and have a wonderful career. “No, I don’t think he needs me. I think when want something bad enough and if you get it, it can be the worst thing that ever happened to you.”
Considering Jones’ recent remarks, former dual-weight UFC champion Daniel Cormier has once again called for ‘Bones’ to be stripped and believe it is time for the heavyweight division to move on without the American as the champion. “It finally feels like we have some sort of idea of what he wants to do going forward,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel.
“Maybe it’s just over. Sometimes you just know it’s over… And when you know, you walk away. Unfortunately, he waited so long that it’s going to look like it looks. So, right now it’s time to strip him. Strip him. It’s time to strip him.” He added: “Ultimately it’s time to strip him. He doesn’t want to fight this guy. It does not sound like he’s going to fight. It’s time to take the belt. It’s time to move on.”