Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion Tom Aspinall remains optimistic about his fighting future, despite the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the division`s lineal champion, Jon Jones.
Discussions about a potential unification bout between the two heavyweights have been happening since late 2024. However, Jon Jones recently stated publicly that he had no interest in facing the interim titleholder amidst rumors of his potential retirement from mixed martial arts.
Following this, Jones attempted to call out Francis Ngannou for a potential crossover fight. However, UFC CEO Dana White quickly dismissed the idea during the UFC 316 post-fight press conference, insisting that Tom Aspinall is the legitimate challenge in the heavyweight division.
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Aspinall Ready to Move Past the Jon Jones Situation
During a recent training session with lightweight contender Paddy Pimblett, Aspinall commented on the protracted situation with Jones. His remarks suggested that the UFC might be ready to abandon the potential super-fight.
“Everybody has got a time limit, and he`s reached it,” Aspinall stated. “Now we`re moving on.”
He expressed relief that the period of uncertainty is ending, allowing him to focus on competing again. “It`s all in the past now. We`re moving forward, everything`s good, and we can get fighting again,” he added.
“It`s better now because I do know what`s going on a bit and I am gonna fight soon, so that`s nice. But for the last six months, I`ve just kind of not known what is going on.”
Aspinall emphasized his core motivation for competing: the love of fighting itself, rather than external rewards. “Money, fame, titles, rankings, all that aside, I just love fighting. I just like fighting people, that`s what I got into it for. I didn’t get into it really for anything else. All of the other stuff is just nice to have on top.”
He lamented the time spent sidelined, eager to return to action. “I just want to fight and that`s been taken away from me for over a year now. But we`re nearly over it now, which is good.”
Dana White Dismisses Petition to Strip Jon Jones
Pressure has been mounting on the UFC to strip Jon Jones of his title due to his inactivity and recent comments. A public petition calling for this has amassed over 190,000 signatures.
When asked about the viral petition at the UFC 316 press conference, Dana White dismissed it as “silly.”
“Yeah,” the UFC CEO confirmed, adding, “Every human on Earth was DM’ing it to me.”
He downplayed the significance of the signatures relative to the global fanbase. “How many fans are there worldwide now, what`s the number? Like 400 million and 130,000 people want to see him stripped. It’s kind of f—— silly.”
White`s comments suggest he is not currently planning to strip Jones. However, Aspinall remains hopeful that the situation will soon be resolved in a way that benefits his career.
