Tom Aspinall Says UFC Champ Jon Jones is Retired: It's Time To Move On
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 16: Interim UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall looks on during the ... More UFC heavyweight championship fight during the UFC 309 event at Madison Square Garden on November 16, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
Interim UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall is tired of waiting for UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones to face him in a title unification bout.
"Jon Jones is retired," Aspinall told Daniel Cormier and Chael Sonnen. "I want to say God bless him moving forward in what he does with his life and career. We move on. I'm the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. I'm ready to take on all comers and get this division moving again.
"Those guys have been waiting around too long. The contenders are getting sick of it. Everybody's getting sick of it. Even the fans are getting sick of this stuff. So, Jon's retired and it's time that we move on.
"I'm the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. I'm ready to take on all comers, get this division moving again. Us guys have been waiting around too long. The guys, contenders are getting sick of it, everybody's getting sick of it, even the fans are getting sick of it. Jon's retired and it's time that we move on.'
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - JULY 27: Tom Aspinall of England reacts after his knockout victory against ... More Curtis Blaydes in the interim UFC heavyweight championship bout during the UFC 304 event at Co-op Live on July 27, 2024 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Aspinall won the interim UFC heavyweight crown in November 2023 with a knockout victory over Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295. Aspinall took that fight on short notice when the original main event for that card, Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic for Jones's heavyweight title was scrapped following an injury to Jones.
Despite Aspinall winning the interim crown, UFC CEO Dana White remained steadfast in saying that Jones vs. Miocic was the fight to make.
That fight did not take place until November 2024. Jones held on to his belt that night, beating Miocic by TKO in the third round. By that time, Aspinall had already defended his interim crown, scoring a first-round knockout win over Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 in July 2024.
Aspinall has been waiting for the title unification bout with Jones since Jones's win over Miocic in November. In late April, Miocic became the longest-serving UFC interim champion, topping the 535-day reign of Renan Barao, who defended his interim title twice before being named undisputed champion.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 14: Jon Jones and UFC President Dana White react during the UFC 309 ... More press conference at The Theater at Madison Square Garden on November 14, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC)
In late April, UFC CEO Dana White addressed rumors about the Jones vs. Aspinall fight.
'Everything you hear is (expletive) until we (the UFC) say it,' White said of all the talk about Jones vs. Aspinall. 'I've said it many times, that's the fight we want to make this year.'
White then added that he remains 'super confident' that Jones and Aspinall will meet in 2025 before adding, 'I've said since day one, this will be the biggest heavyweight in the history of the company and in the history of the sport. It's going to be a big one.'
Tom Aspinall during the Heavyweight fight at the Co-op Live Arena, Manchester. Picture date: ... More Saturday July 27, 2024. (Photo by Richard Sellers/PA Images via Getty Images)
'I'm not looking to fight Jon Jones,' Aspinall said. 'I'm looking to fight for the undisputed heavyweight championship. That's what I want to be. I want to be the UFC undisputed heavyweight champion. I see a lot of people comparing me to Michael Chandler. Michael Chandler waited for a long time for Conor McGregor. I'm not waiting for one fight. I'm not trying to fight one guy. I'm trying to fight all the guys. I'm trying to be the guy at heavyweight who takes out everybody.
'It doesn't matter who it is. Ciryl Gane, [Alexander] Volkov rematch, [Jailton] Almeida, Derrick Lewis, Brock Lesnar, whoever it is, I don't care. I want to fight everybody, and I want to fight as much as possible, get some excitement back in this division. Let's not talk about Jon Jones anymore. All the best, the guy's living his best life. Full respect to him, wish him all the best in the future, he deserves all the money and success that he gets. I'm the active guy, I'm going to fight somebody, and that's going to be announced pretty soon.'
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