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'Duck'? Jon Jones says he's living his best life as Tom Aspinall's impatience grows

'Duck'? Jon Jones says he's living his best life as Tom Aspinall's impatience grows

USA Today13-05-2025

'Duck'? Jon Jones says he's living his best life as Tom Aspinall's impatience grows
UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones made it clear that he remains unfazed by fans accusing him of ducking Tom Aspinall.
Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) recently broke the record for the longest-reigning interim champion in UFC history as he still awaits a title-unification bout with Jones (28-1 MMA, 22-1 UFC). Aspinall defended his interim title once with a quick finish of Curtis Blaydes last July at UFC 304, while Jones opted to defend against Stipe Miocic and won by TKO last November at UFC 309.
Given his remarks in a recent Instagram Live session, it's safe to say Jones isn't feeling the pressure of fighting Aspinall.
"I've got people in the chat calling me a duck," Jones said while apparently riding a motorbike (h/t ACD MMA). "Meanwhile, I'm living my absolute best life. I don't know if it's considered ducking when you're living good. I don't think it works like that."
Jones is currently filming Season 2 of "ALF Reality," a Russian reality television show resembling "The Ultimate Fighter." He is coaching opposite fellow UFC star Nate Diaz in Thailand.
Aspinall said in March he had a positive meeting with UFC CEO Dana White and UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell, but an announcement has yet to be made on his fight with Jones.
Aspinall is aware of how big of a risk he is to Jones' legacy but isn't sure he has the patience to wait around for too much longer.
"When you put him in there with, and I'm not trying to blow my own trumpet, but I'm literally the most dangerous guy in the UFC if you look at the stats," Aspinall recently said on the "High Performance Podcast". "When you put him in with a guy of my size who has them credentials at this stage in his career, I think Jon's a smart guy, and he realizes that, so he wants to be compensated financially for it. I'm well bored of it (talking about Jones). I've had enough. We either need to fight, or I need to move on to do something else."

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UFC 316 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Program passes $34 million
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UFC 316 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Program passes $34 million
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Not just with the principals in play, but in general. I haven't heard anybody outside of the MMA spectrum mention that O'Malley is fighting this weekend, which is startling, no? Petesy: Let's be honest, 'Lack of Heat' could be title of a Netflix documentary about UFC's start to 2025. I don't know if it's anything to do with the switch up in dynamic between the lads as much as it's just fan fatigue at this point. Being a UFC fan in 2025 is like being in a semi-serious relationship. You're expected to give up a day of your life every week regardless of the stakes, intrigue or ability on display on these cards. When a genuinely good one comes along like this, I think it's just difficult for everyone to switch into the 'excitement' gear. I do think it's a really good card, but I can't remember the last time we were all frothing at the mouth for a UFC pay-per-view. It certainly hasn't been over the five months, and that's pretty sad. 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That might be unfair to Eddie, as he had to get through Gilbert Melendez and Anthony Pettis before dethroning Rafael Dos Anjos, but I really feel this is one of the strongest bantamweight rosters of all time. If Patchy ain't the best, I'd have him second to Eddie, but I'm expecting big things from him. 5. What's one other fight on UFC 316 that is guaranteed to deliver? Petesy: Luque vs. Holland has chaos written all over it. And speaking of chaos, or a variation of the spelling, Khaos Williams and Andreas Gustafsson could be a banger, too. While we're on the topic of things that are guaranteed to deliver, the most exciting part of the whole damn night for me will be jumping on YouTube for a live show with you and the big homie Helwani for our 3PAC post-fight special! Yes, that was a blatant plug, and I can only apologize. See you there, Mith! Advertisement Chuck: Blatant plug, and I love it — no need to apologize. Glad to have the gang back together. 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