Jon Jones' manager gives update on Tom Aspinall talks after Dana White promises 'summer' fight
A potential heavyweight unification bout between UFC champion Jon Jones and interim champ Tom Aspinall continues to be one of the biggest fights available in MMA in 2025, however progress to make it has appeared minimal since Jones' successful title defense over Stipe Miocic in November.
Jones, 37, dispatched of the former two-time champion with a third-round knockout in their UFC 309 main event, while Aspinall, 31, sat idle, watching the action unfold with the rest of the world and hoping he'd be next for Jones sooner rather than later. UFC CEO Dana White teased the matchup will "100%" happen soon afterward, but the months since have been concerning. Sources told Uncrowned in February that hopes of the mega-fight happening were beginning to dwindle within Team Aspinall.
Yet when speaking Wednesday on ESPN's "First Take," White once again sparked optimism, stating that he expects Jones to return "this summer." One of Jones' managers at First Round Management, Malki Kawa, responded to the comments on Uncrowned's "The Ariel Helwani Show" on Wednesday.
"Let me just put it to you like this: We sit in negotiations all day long and we talk about things all day long, right?" Kawa said. "I think that everybody that's involved in anything to do with any of this stuff wants all these fights to happen. Right? I'll just leave it at that.
"I think that [Jones vs. Aspinall happening] depends on certain things, and whether or not everybody wants to make those certain things happen. And if the answer to everybody else is yes, and those certain things happen, then yes, the fight will happen. That's all I'll say to that."
Without directly saying it, Kawa appeared to echo Jones' sentiments after his Miocic win. The champion outright stated that it will take "f*** you money" to get him to fight Aspinall for his second title defense. Prior to UFC 309, Jones made it abundantly clear how little interest he had in the surging Brit as an opponent, and that he instead preferred fighting current light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira.
Aspinall, 31, spoke this week on his YouTube channel regarding the situation, reiterating that the hold-up for his UFC return hinges solely on Jones. He's glad to compete against any heavyweight for his next time out — as long as it's for the undisputed title.
"I've been staying away from the media talking about Jon Jones a lot because, in all honesty, I'm sick of talking about it myself," Aspinall said. "Where we're at right now is, I have spoke to the UFC multiple occasions about this fight. I'm chasing up. I want the fight. I've been on record and said I want the fight. I've been on the phone with the UFC saying, 'I want the fight, when's it happening?' I want the fight more than anyone.
"What is holding it up right now is his side. That's the truth of it. The UFC really, really wants the fight to happen. They've told me that. As I've said, this is one of the biggest fights that could be made in MMA right now. Everybody knows that. It's just, does he want to put himself in a position where he's comfortable financially to take the risk that he's taking to fight me? And that is where we're at."
Since Aspinall won the interim title in November 2023, he's fought once, successfully defending the belt with a 60-second knockout of Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 this past July.
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Hamilton Spectator
15 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
US Open ‘25: Hogan and Woods and other key anniversaries in the U.S. Open this year
OAKMONT, Pa. (AP) — A look at some of the anniversaries this year at the U.S. Open: 100 years ago (1925) Site: Worcester Country Club Winner: Willie MacFarlane Runner-up: Bobby Jones Score: 74-67-72-78-291 Margin: Playoff (MacFarlane 147, Jones 148) Winner's share: $500 Noteworthy: Jones felt his club moved the ball in the rough on the 11th hole of the first round. Officials were unable to confirm this and left it to Jones to make a ruling. He called a one-shot penalty on himself. Praised for his sportsman ship, Jones famously replied, 'You might as well praise me for not robbing a bank.' AP story: Willie MacFarlane, 'finest of men and a great golfer,' in the words of America's greatest amateur, little Bobby Jones of Atlanta, tonight is the open champion of the United States, a victory by a single stroke today ending the greatest tournament in history. The final score was 72 to 73 at the end of the second 18 holes of a playoff to decide the deadlocked tourney. Jones' opinion of the victory is of weight, for he was was — national amateur and former open champion — who fell before the other's prowess in a history-making playoff. Only after a throng of several thousand had boiled in the terrific heat through 36 holes did the end come, and then it was at the final green. 75 years ago (1950) Site: Merion Golf Club Winner: Ben Hogan Runner-up: Lloyd Mangum and George Fazio Score: 72-69-72-74-287 Margin: Playoff (Hogan 69, Mangrum 73, Fazio 75) Winner's share: $4,000 Noteworthy: Hogan hit 1-iron to the 18th in the final round, leading to one of golf's most iconic photos. When he played the 18th during the third round earlier that morning, he hit 6-iron to the green. It was an example of how much fatigue he had from his battered legs. AP story: Ben Hogan's legs held out today like stanchions of steel, and the game little man from Texas smashed Lloyd Mangrum and George Fazio with strokes to spare in their 18-hole playoff for the National Open Golf Championship. In winning his second Open title within three years, Hogan climaxed gloriously the most remarkable comeback in the history of sports. This time a year ago, it was doubted that he ever would play golf again after barely escaping with his life from a head-on motor car collision near Van Horn, Texas. 50 years ago (1975) Site: Medinah Country Club Winner: Lou Graham Runner-up: John Mahaffey Score: 74-72-68-73-287 Margin: Playoff (Graham 71, Mahaffey 73) Winner's share: $40,000 Noteworthy: One year after Tom Watson had the 54-hole lead and shot 79, he had a 36-hole lead and shot 76-77. Watson won the first of his eight majors a month later at Carnoustie. AP story: Lou Graham, a 12-year-old tour veteran, wore down ambitious John Mahaffey and ended a career of golfing obscurity with a two-stroke victory Monday in the 18-hole payoff for the U.S. Open crown. 'It's the dream of a lifetime,' the 37-year-old Graham said in his soft, Tennessee drawl. He won it with a 71, even par on the 7,032 yards of gently rolling, heavily wooded countryside that makes up the Medinah Country Club course The bitterly disappointed Mahaffey, now a runner-up seven times since his lone tour title, didn't make a birdie in the hot and humid playoff and had a score of 73. 25 years ago (2000) Site: Pebble Beach Golf Links Winner: Tiger Woods Runners-up: Ernie Els, Miguel Angel Jimenez Score: 65-69-71-67-272 Margin: 15 shots Winner's share: $800,000 Noteworthy: Jack Nicklaus played in his final U.S. Open. In each of the four majors he played for the last time, Woods was the winner. AP story: Standing on the 18th fairway, Tiger Woods turned his back on Pebble Beach and looked out over Carmel Bay in the final moments of the most monumental U.S. Open victory ever. He was all alone, playing for himself — and for history. No one was close to catching him. No one is close in the game. 'We've been talking about him for two years. I guess we'll be talking about him for the next 20. When he's on, we don't have much of a chance,' Ernie Els said. While the rest of the field was playing for second, Woods took aim at the record books. When the final putt fell, Woods owned his third major championship, along with the kind of records no one imagined possible. 20 years ago (2005) Site: Pinehurst No. 2 Winner: Michael Campbell Runner-up: Tiger Woods Score: 71-69-71-69-280 Margin: 2 shots Winner's share: $1,170,000 Noteworthy: Retief Goosen and Jason Gore played in the final group and combined to take 165 strokes. Goosen shot 81, Gore shot 84. AP story: Michael Campbell answered every challenge Tiger Woods threw his way Sunday until a U.S. Open full of surprises got the biggest one of all. Woods blinked first. Ten years after being touted as a rising star, Campbell finally delivered a major championship no one expected with clutch par saves and a 20-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole that proved to be the knockout punch. The only drama at the end was whether Campbell would beat Pinehurst No. 2. He missed a 3-foot par putt on the final hole for a 1-under 69 to finish the tournament at even par. It was good enough for a two-shot victory over Woods, who charged along the back nine until missing an 8-foot par putt on the 16th hole, then three-putting from 25 feet on the par-3 17th, the same hole that doomed his chances at Pinehurst six years ago. 10 years ago (2015) Site: Chambers Bay Golf Club Winner: Jordan Spieth Runners-up: Dustin Johnson, Louis Oosthuizen Score: 68-67-71-69-275 Margin: 1 shot Winner's share: $1,800,000 Noteworthy: This was the first U.S. Open televised by Fox Sports in a 12-year deal. It gave up the rights after five years. AP story: Jordan Spieth is halfway home to the Grand Slam, a prize only three of the biggest names in modern golf have ever chased. And he still can't believe how he got there. Spieth won the U.S. Open in a heart-stopper Sunday with a turn of events even more wild than the terrain at Chambers Bay. He thought he had it won with a 25-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole. He threw away a three-shot lead one hole later. He made birdie on the final hole. And then he thought it was over as Dustin Johnson settled in over a 12-foot eagle putt for the victory. Three putts later, Spieth was the U.S. Open champion. Spieth joined Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods in getting the first two legs of the modern slam that Palmer created on his way to St. Andrews in 1960. That's the next stop for the 21-year-old Texan whose two major championships could not be any more different. A wire-to-wire runaway at Augusta National. A nail-biter on the edge of Puget Sound. And another major heartache for Johnson. 5 years ago (2020) Site: Winged Foot Golf Club Winner: Bryson DeChambeau Runner-up: Matthew Wolff Score: 69-68-70-67-274 Margin: 6 shots Winner's share: $2,250,000 Noteworthy: It was the first U.S. Open in September since 1913. AP story: Call him a mad scientist in a tam o'shanter cap. Call him a game-changer in golf. Any description of Bryson DeChambeau now starts with U.S. Open champion. In a breathtaking performance Sunday at Winged Foot, on a course so demanding no one else broke par, DeChambeau blasted away with his driver and had short irons from the ankle-deep rough on his way to a 3-under 67. When his 7-foot par putt fell on the 18th, DeChambeau thrust those two powerful arms into the air. This was validation that his idea to add 40 pounds of mass, to produce an incredible amount of speed and power, would lead to moments like this. Two shots behind Matthew Wolff going into the final round, he passed him in five holes, pulled away to start the back nine and wound up winning by six shots. Wolff, trying to become the first player since Francis Ouimet in 1913 to win the U.S. Open in his debut, closed with a 75. ___ AP golf:
San Francisco Chronicle
16 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
US Open '25: Hogan and Woods and other key anniversaries in the U.S. Open this year
100 years ago (1925) Winner: Willie MacFarlane Runner-up: Bobby Jones Score: 74-67-72-78-291 Margin: Playoff (MacFarlane 147, Jones 148) Winner's share: $500 Noteworthy: Jones felt his club moved the ball in the rough on the 11th hole of the first round. Officials were unable to confirm this and left it to Jones to make a ruling. He called a one-shot penalty on himself. Praised for his sportsman ship, Jones famously replied, 'You might as well praise me for not robbing a bank.' AP story: Willie MacFarlane, 'finest of men and a great golfer,' in the words of America's greatest amateur, little Bobby Jones of Atlanta, tonight is the open champion of the United States, a victory by a single stroke today ending the greatest tournament in history. The final score was 72 to 73 at the end of the second 18 holes of a playoff to decide the deadlocked tourney. Jones' opinion of the victory is of weight, for he was was -- national amateur and former open champion -- who fell before the other's prowess in a history-making playoff. Only after a throng of several thousand had boiled in the terrific heat through 36 holes did the end come, and then it was at the final green. 75 years ago (1950) Site: Merion Golf Club Score: 72-69-72-74-287 Margin: Playoff (Hogan 69, Mangrum 73, Fazio 75) Winner's share: $4,000 Noteworthy: Hogan hit 1-iron to the 18th in the final round, leading to one of golf's most iconic photos. When he played the 18th during the third round earlier that morning, he hit 6-iron to the green. It was an example of how much fatigue he had from his battered legs. AP story: Ben Hogan's legs held out today like stanchions of steel, and the game little man from Texas smashed Lloyd Mangrum and George Fazio with strokes to spare in their 18-hole playoff for the National Open Golf Championship. In winning his second Open title within three years, Hogan climaxed gloriously the most remarkable comeback in the history of sports. This time a year ago, it was doubted that he ever would play golf again after barely escaping with his life from a head-on motor car collision near Van Horn, Texas. 50 years ago (1975) Site: Medinah Country Club Runner-up: John Mahaffey Margin: Playoff (Graham 71, Mahaffey 73) Winner's share: $40,000 Noteworthy: One year after Tom Watson had the 54-hole lead and shot 79, he had a 36-hole lead and shot 76-77. Watson won the first of his eight majors a month later at Carnoustie. AP story: Lou Graham, a 12-year-old tour veteran, wore down ambitious John Mahaffey and ended a career of golfing obscurity with a two-stroke victory Monday in the 18-hole payoff for the U.S. Open crown. 'It's the dream of a lifetime,' the 37-year-old Graham said in his soft, Tennessee drawl. He won it with a 71, even par on the 7,032 yards of gently rolling, heavily wooded countryside that makes up the Medinah Country Club course The bitterly disappointed Mahaffey, now a runner-up seven times since his lone tour title, didn't make a birdie in the hot and humid playoff and had a score of 73. 25 years ago (2000) Site: Pebble Beach Golf Links Winner: Tiger Woods Runners-up: Ernie Els, Miguel Angel Jimenez Score: 65-69-71-67-272 Margin: 15 shots Winner's share: $800,000 Noteworthy: Jack Nicklaus played in his final U.S. Open. In each of the four majors he played for the last time, Woods was the winner. AP story: Standing on the 18th fairway, Tiger Woods turned his back on Pebble Beach and looked out over Carmel Bay in the final moments of the most monumental U.S. Open victory ever. He was all alone, playing for himself — and for history. No one was close to catching him. No one is close in the game. 'We've been talking about him for two years. I guess we'll be talking about him for the next 20. When he's on, we don't have much of a chance,' Ernie Els said. While the rest of the field was playing for second, Woods took aim at the record books. When the final putt fell, Woods owned his third major championship, along with the kind of records no one imagined possible. 20 years ago (2005) Site: Pinehurst No. 2 Winner: Michael Campbell Runner-up: Tiger Woods Score: 71-69-71-69-280 Margin: 2 shots Winner's share: $1,170,000 Noteworthy: Retief Goosen and Jason Gore played in the final group and combined to take 165 strokes. Goosen shot 81, Gore shot 84. AP story: Michael Campbell answered every challenge Tiger Woods threw his way Sunday until a U.S. Open full of surprises got the biggest one of all. Woods blinked first. Ten years after being touted as a rising star, Campbell finally delivered a major championship no one expected with clutch par saves and a 20-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole that proved to be the knockout punch. The only drama at the end was whether Campbell would beat Pinehurst No. 2. He missed a 3-foot par putt on the final hole for a 1-under 69 to finish the tournament at even par. It was good enough for a two-shot victory over Woods, who charged along the back nine until missing an 8-foot par putt on the 16th hole, then three-putting from 25 feet on the par-3 17th, the same hole that doomed his chances at Pinehurst six years ago. 10 years ago (2015) Site: Chambers Bay Golf Club Winner: Jordan Spieth Runners-up: Dustin Johnson, Louis Oosthuizen Score: 68-67-71-69-275 Margin: 1 shot Winner's share: $1,800,000 Noteworthy: This was the first U.S. Open televised by Fox Sports in a 12-year deal. It gave up the rights after five years. AP story: Jordan Spieth is halfway home to the Grand Slam, a prize only three of the biggest names in modern golf have ever chased. And he still can't believe how he got there. Spieth won the U.S. Open in a heart-stopper Sunday with a turn of events even more wild than the terrain at Chambers Bay. He thought he had it won with a 25-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole. He threw away a three-shot lead one hole later. He made birdie on the final hole. And then he thought it was over as Dustin Johnson settled in over a 12-foot eagle putt for the victory. Three putts later, Spieth was the U.S. Open champion. Spieth joined Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods in getting the first two legs of the modern slam that Palmer created on his way to St. Andrews in 1960. That's the next stop for the 21-year-old Texan whose two major championships could not be any more different. A wire-to-wire runaway at Augusta National. A nail-biter on the edge of Puget Sound. And another major heartache for Johnson. 5 years ago (2020) Site: Winged Foot Golf Club Winner: Bryson DeChambeau Runner-up: Matthew Wolff Score: 69-68-70-67-274 Margin: 6 shots Winner's share: $2,250,000 Noteworthy: It was the first U.S. Open in September since 1913. AP story: Call him a mad scientist in a tam o'shanter cap. Call him a game-changer in golf. Any description of Bryson DeChambeau now starts with U.S. Open champion. In a breathtaking performance Sunday at Winged Foot, on a course so demanding no one else broke par, DeChambeau blasted away with his driver and had short irons from the ankle-deep rough on his way to a 3-under 67. When his 7-foot par putt fell on the 18th, DeChambeau thrust those two powerful arms into the air. This was validation that his idea to add 40 pounds of mass, to produce an incredible amount of speed and power, would lead to moments like this. Two shots behind Matthew Wolff going into the final round, he passed him in five holes, pulled away to start the back nine and wound up winning by six shots. Wolff, trying to become the first player since Francis Ouimet in 1913 to win the U.S. Open in his debut, closed with a 75.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Middletown native Kayla Harrison wins UFC title
Kayla Harrison continues to win more gold. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] The Middletown native won the women's bantamweight championship Saturday in the UFC 316 co-main event in Newark, NJ, according to the Associated Press. Advertisement She beat Julianna Pena in the final seconds of Round 2. Harrison improved to 19-1 in MMA overall and 3-0 in the UFC. She dominated every second of Saturday's fight. TRENDING STORIES: She dropped to her knees in celebration. 'I prayed in the dark. I fought in the light. And God never left my side,' she wrote on her Facebook page. 'Thank you to my team, my family, and everyone who believed. This life is wild—and I'm so damn blessed to live it." President Trump attended the fight on Saturday. As previously reported by News Center 7, Harrison graduated from Middletown High School, where she took up judo. Advertisement Harrison won two gold medals at the Olympics in 2012 and 2016. The Associated Press contributed to this story Photo from Kayla Harrison's Facebook page [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
