“Jon Jones will fight in 2025, 100%. Jon Jones definitely wants the fight. Now we’re working on when and where. I’m very confident that fight will happen,” Dana White told Adam Glyn in a casual street-side interview. His words sparked fresh hope for a potential Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall superfight. But the heavyweight champ’s antics have only added more confusion and cast doubt on whether that superfight was ever truly on the table.
Ever since the Brit emerged as the top contender, ‘Bones’ has seemingly shown little interest in fighting him. The reason? He doesn’t see Tom Aspinall as a legacy-defining opponent. Jones held that stance throughout the entire unification bout discussion. That’s why, when Eric Nicksick fueled rumors of Francis Ngannou’s UFC return, he didn’t hesitate to sideline the interim champ and shift his focus toward ‘The Predator’ instead. And now, that shift has left even an optimistic Dana White under a cloud of doubt.
Dana White compares Jon Jones’ retirement talk to Khabib Nurmagomedov
Dana White had already dubbed Jones vs. Aspinall as the greatest heavyweight fight of all time and assured fans it would happen. But now, the UFC boss seems to be changing his tune. It looks like he’s finally realizing that the man he calls the GOAT might ride off into the sunset without ever facing the toughest test of his career. And while White still wants to see that fight materialize, the thought of losing Jones gives him the same feelings as Khabib’s retirement after UFC 254.
White, at UFC 316 post-fight presser, said, “I don’t know. Listen, if the guy wants to retire and doesn’t wanna fight nothing you can do. I didn’t want Khabib to retire. I thought DC should’ve stayed in it longer. So, it’s none of my business. I’ll do what I can to make the fight if we can. If he’s talking that crazy s–t I didn’t realize that.”
News: Republican National Convention July 18, 2024 Milwaukee, WI, USA Dana White, CEO of Ultimate Fighting Championship introduces Republican presidential nominee Donald J. Trump during the final day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum. The final day of the RNC featured a keynote address by Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. Milwaukee Fiserv Forum WI USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xJasperxColtx 20240718_LJB_dy8_293
As if things weren’t already murky enough, Dana White has only added to the confusion for fans. Jon Jones has repeatedly said, “I told the UFC my plans a long time ago.” Yet, neither side has completely revealed what those plans are. And judging by White’s recent comments, there doesn’t seem to be any solid or finalized discussions with the 265-pound kingpin. And that’s why the head honcho might be sensing that Jones might take retirement.
However, one thing remains certain. UFC President Dana White still believes interim champ Tom Aspinall, who’s been waiting nearly a year to unify his belt, is the rightful next opponent. Not Francis Ngannou, who’s currently the PFL champion and no longer under UFC contract.
White doubles down on Jones vs. Aspinall, brushes off Francis Ngannou return
The buzz around a potential UFC return for Francis Ngannou has been nothing short of electric. But the bitter fallout between Ngannou and the promotion still feels like an unbreakable wall. On top of that, ‘The Predator’ has two fights remaining on his PFL contract—something that can’t be ignored. Despite the hype, White remains firm in his stance: Tom Aspinall is the rightful next opponent for Jon Jones, and he’s still not interested in signing the Cameroonian giant back.
White continued the post-fight presser, “It’s Aspinall’s fight. We have been talking to this kid forever about it, and it’s his fight. I don’t have Ngannou on a contract, and Aspinall is the guy.” The head honcho was then asked whether he’d be interested in signing back Ngannou, to which he said, “Probably not.”
It’s already been pretty clear that the UFC isn’t too eager to bring Francis Ngannou back, at least not unless the heavyweight title gets unified somehow. But it’s worth noting that White said “probably not,” which still leaves a small window open. Once ‘The Predator’ wraps up his PFL contract, a return could still be on the table.
And with Jon Jones likely to retire soon, whether he fights Tom Aspinall or not. So, the UFC might just consider bringing back their former heavyweight star, depending on how things play out. That said, do you think Dana White could convince Jon Jones to take the fight? Please let us know in the comment’s section.
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