Dana White had planned to finally book the highly anticipated heavyweight unification title fight between reigning champion Jon Jones and interim champion Tom Aspinall for this summer. However, what the head honcho didn’t foresee was ‘Bones’ taking matters into his own hands, further pushing back the bout. For the unversed, the Englishman will break the infamous record of holding an interim crown for the longest time on April 29th this year at 535 days, overtaking former 135lbs kingpin Renan Barao. Moreover, Aspinall even defended his strap 230 days ago way back at UFC 304.
But the chance of unifying the titles? Nowhere to be seen! No exact dates, and no confirmation. Moreover, renowned MMA journalist Ariel Helwani reported that Jones requested six months of preparation time before facing Aspinall. “I was told that Jon wants six months to prepare once the fight is locked in,” Helwani shared. This ‘request’ aligns with UFC’s annual Madison Square Garden event, sparking an uproar on social media, with fans criticizing both Dana White and ‘Bones’ for not stripping Jones of the heavyweight title.
However, verbose analyst Chael Sonnen believes the UFC cannot “strip” the reigning champ off his belt. According to ‘The Bad Guy’, “If he’s making it six months from the date he signs the contract, then he just put it on you. He’s telling you, ‘You could have sent it to me two months ago. You could have sent it to me a month ago. We’ve all known who I was fighting.’”
Sonnen further suggested that Jones would place the blame on the UFC for failing to send him the contract sooner. He added, “Cause yeah, we knew that. So why didn’t you get me the contract and start the clock? You’ve had three months to get me that contract for the same opponent, at the same weight, under the same unified rules, for the same prize—the undisputed championship. So why didn’t you get me the paperwork?”
November 17, 2024: El campeo³n de peso pesado de UFC, Jon Jones, con su prometida Jessie Moses, celebra su victoria por nocaut to cnico contra el retador Stipe Miocic durante su pelea por el toÂtulo de peso pesado de UFC 309. – ZUMAla2_ 0779969143st Copyright: xKenaxBetancurx
The Albuquerque native returned to the Octagon in November 2024 at UFC 309. This is where he faced a 42-year-old retirement-bound Stipe Miocic after over a year away due to injury. Despite this, Jones always knew his next fight would be against Tom Aspinall. However, he has been hesitant to face the Brit, opting instead to focus on former light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira, whom Jones sought as his next opponent.
But at UFC 313, Magomed Ankalaev dashed both the Brazilian’s and Jones’ plans. This left ‘Bones’ to comment on Pereira’s social media post, saying, “Disappointed, I was looking forward to sharing the octagon with you.” Now, Jon Jones has set a new timeline for his return, but both Sonnen and Aspinall’s coach are dissatisfied with his approach.
Chael Sonnen and Tom Aspinall’s dad went scorched earth on Jon Jones
Tom Aspinall’s father and coach, Andy Aspinall, made a bold statement. “For me, if the guys don’t want to fight for the belt, vacate it.” Like his son, he aims to see the Brit juggernaut become one of the biggest names in MMA. Despite the mounting pressure, ‘Bones’ remains unfazed by the demands and has set his own timeline and return date. Dana White has consistently assured fans since last year that a Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall fight will definitely happen.
However, the latest timeline is starting to seem shaky even with UFC 317 and International Fight Week. Naturally, the heavyweight bout could be more complicated, just the way it has fluctuated since late 2023. As the pressure grows to strip Jones of his belt, Chael Sonnen took to his YouTube channel to ask serious questions about the situation.
Sonnen pointed out, “We’ve got four months [since Jones defended at UFC 309]! I don’t know if he [Jones] was training [for Aspinall], but he wasn’t prohibited from doing so. […] For heaven’s sake, did he take the whole time off? It’s been four and a half months since that fight. Did he not train? Did he not train with Aspinall in mind? And did he not know that the undisputed champion would be facing the interim champion?”
Tom Aspinall with post-event media during the UFC 304 event at Co-op Etihad Campus, SportCity, Manchester, England on the 27 July 2024. Copyright: xAndyxRowlandx PMI-6350-0004
What are your thoughts on Chael Sonnen’s comments? Do you believe Jon Jones is being protected by Dana White and UFC officials? And with ‘Bones’ vs. Tom Aspinall now reportedly being UFC’s top priority, do you think this fight will happen sooner rather than later? Let us know what you feel!
The post UFC Insider Underlines Why Dana White & Co. Can’t ‘Strip’ Jon Jones For Holding Up Tom Aspinall Fight appeared first on EssentiallySports.
