Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall twists continue amid ‘retired' claim
Jon Jones continues to emit mixed messages about the prospect of a fight with Tom Aspinall, 18 months after it was first mooted.
Despite Jones holding the regular UFC heavyweight title and Aspinall owning the interim belt, a dynamic that has existed since November 2023, the pair are yet to have a bout booked.
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Britain's Aspinall claimed the interim title by knocking out Sergei Pavlovich, as the pair stepped up after Jones sustained an injury that thwarted his planned defence against Stipe Miocic. That all-American match-up finally materialised 12 months later, in November 2024, with Jones stopping the divisional great – but only after Aspinall defended and retained the interim strap in July, a rare move in the UFC.
Jones, 37, and Aspinall, 32, have therefore been poised for a unification fight for six months, yet 'Bones' continues to toy with Aspinall.
On Tuesday (20 May), footage emerged of Jones saying, 'I'm done,' while seemingly on a video call with an old friend, who joked that the former light-heavyweight king could go on for another '10 years'.
Yet on the same day, Jones posted an Instagram story of a video captioned: 'Have you ever seen a dog correct another dog like this?' The clip shows a dog incessantly barking at another, before a third dog arrives and instantly causes the vocal canine to become submissive. 'What I feel like returning to the UFC after some much needed downtime,' Jones wrote.
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He later replied to a fan who wrote, 'How does it feel to be retired?', responding: 'I don't know if I wanna call it retired, I feel like I'll always have an ability to pop out and show em. I've had many breaks throughout my career, my identity outside of fighting is well intact. I'm genuinely enjoying life, I'm growing in different ways.'
Jon Jones shares an Instagram story seemingly referencing his attitude towards a fight with Tom Aspinall (@jonnybones via Instagram)
This online activity followed a series of tweets from Jones on Sunday (18 May), when the controversial American hit back at fans. He wrote: 'Yall barkin up the wrong tree, I told the Ufc my plans a long time ago. I have no clue why they haven't shared them with you guys yet.
'Lol do I come across as the type of person who cares about things like [being stripped of the title]? [...] This, this attitude, right here is making me a very wealthy man. This desperation [from fans] is incredibly lucrative, so thank you. Keep it coming.'
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With the UFC having announced main events for its pay-per-views in June, July and August, as well as a Mexican-centric event in September, Jones vs Aspinall is unlikely to happen before October. UFC president Dana White did vow last week that he would soon announce the bout, but fans continue to await such an announcement.
In an interview with UFC legend Demetrious Johnson on Wednesday (21 May), Aspinall said the wait for a fight with Jones has been more mentally taxing than his injury-induced year off, from 2022 until 2023.
Jones (right) stopped Stipe Miocic in the third round, before the latter retired post-fight (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
'Then, I was at a bit of a crossroads really,' said the Wigan heavyweight. 'I'd made a little bit of money then, I'd made enough to buy a house and stuff, and then it was like: Do I want to carry on with this thing? It was obviously devastating to get injured in front of everybody and stuff. But anyway, it was a tough time for me.
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'Came back, took me a year with the rehab, with the knee and everything… the physiotherapy and all that kind of stuff. So, it was a tough couple of months mentally, but then once I started working towards getting back, I'd see the doctor, I'd see the physio, they'd be like: 'In two weeks, this is what I want you doing in the gym. I want you squatting down to 90 degrees. I want you to be able to jump on this box. I want you to be able to run a mile and then you can start boxing, you can do this, that.' I always had a little goal to work towards.
'So, after a couple of months of being sat on the couch, as soon as I could get in the gym and start working towards different things, it was great and I felt good. I was like: 'I definitely want to come back. Now I'm going to go; I don't have any injuries, I'm going to win the heavyweight championship, I'm going to become this legend, I'm going to knock everybody out.' And all that stuff. I felt great about it. And I was on my recovery path to getting back.
'Now, I've been almost a year inactive with no prospects of anything apart from 'wait'. So, now it's actually a bit more of a tricky time for me mentally than it was then [...] Now, it's just like: 'Just be ready and we'll just let you know.' It's kind of difficult mentally, but this is the fight against Jon Jones. The fight is another thing, this is the tricky bit where I really have to stay switched on, stay motivated, and I'm trying my best. It's tough sometimes.'
Tom Aspinall (left) drops Curtis Blaydes before sealing the knockout in their rematch (REUTERS)
While some fans view Jones as the greatest mixed martial artist of all time, his career has been marred by numerous failed drug tests and run-ins with the law. Still, the American is effectively unbeaten, with his sole loss having come via DQ in 2009.
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Meanwhile, Aspinall is 15-3 in MMA and 8-1 in the UFC. In the promotion, his only defeat occurred due to injury, while all of his career finishes have come via stoppage.
In the UFC, Aspinall holds the record for the shortest fight time of an athlete with five or more bouts; all of his wins in the promotion have come in the first two rounds – seven in round one, two in the first minute.
Aspinall's decision to defend the interim belt was a rarity in the UFC, as the Wigan fighter aimed to stay active during Jones's absence. In that fight, Aspinall stopped Curtis Blaydes in 60 seconds, avenging his injury-induced loss to the American in 2022.
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