Latest news with #StipeMiocic
BBC News
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Aspinall shares petition for UFC to strip Jones of belt
Tom Aspinall is continuing his campaign to fight for the undisputed UFC heavyweight championship by sharing a link on Instagram to a petition urging the promotion company to strip Jon Jones of his 32, has been interim heavyweight champion for 18 months and was passed over by Jones as his opponent for his injury comeback last November, with the 37-year-old fighting Stipe Miocic months later, Manchester's Aspinall has repeatedly said he is unsure if he will fight Jones UFC fans have tried to take matters into their own hands by setting up a petition, with more than 150,000 people calling for Jones' title to be taken off from Thailand this week, Jones has continued to keep his cards close to his chest regarding his future."I don't know what life holds as far as fighting and competing," Jones said on DeepCut with VicBlends., external"There's a lot of great competition still in the UFC. I do view myself as more than a fighter, and being in my position, I feel like I have a lot more options than a lot of the other fighters as far as the ability to leave and return and things like that."Aspinall has beaten every fighter in the top five of the rankings except Frenchman Ciryl Gane, who sits at number two. Jones enjoys teasing people on social media and said last week he had already told the UFC his plans, and was unsure why it had not shared them with the American hinted he was retired, before appearing to suggest he would be open to fighting in the UFC is widely considered one of, if not the best, MMA fighter of all time and has an overall record of 28 wins, one loss and one became the youngest UFC champion aged 23, a two-weight champion, and is undefeated in 20 UFC fights in a row - the company's longest unbeaten streak."I'm so connected to winning, it's probably not even healthy," Jones said."I see fighters that take losses and they smile, they hug their wives, 'better luck next time'."If I were to ever lose I'd be devastated, angry, upset, and depressed."
The Sun
25-05-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
‘Shut your mouth' – Jon Jones channels inner Conor McGregor to mock Tom Aspinall's struggles amid UFC fight doubt
JON JONES has brutally mocked Tom Aspinall for opening up on mental struggles during his octagon hiatus. Wigan warrior Aspinall has been waiting on the sidelines for a heavyweight title unification fight with the former pound-for-pound king since last July. 4 4 4 Negotiations over the bout, which ramped up after Jones' title defence against Stipe Miocic, have yet to bear fruit - despite the UFC brass meeting Jones' demands to be paid " F**K YOU MONEY". The idling has started to get to eat away at interim champion Aspinall, who told ex-flyweight king Demetrious Johnson: "I've been almost a year inactive with no prospects of anything apart from… wait. "So now is actually a little bit more of a tricky time for me mentally than it was [after injury in 2022]. "[Before] I constantly had little goals that I could work towards, whereas now, it's like, 'Just be ready and we'll just let you know.' "And it's kind of difficult mentally. . . . This is the fight against Jon Jones, the fight is another thing. "This is the tricky bit where I have to stay switched on, stay motivated. It's tough, sometimes." It didn't take long for Aspinall's frank admission to come to the attention of Jones, who had no sympathy for the Brit bruiser. Commenting under the clip, Jones said: "Shut your mouth and do as you're told." JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS 4 The jibe was reminiscent of Conor McGregor, who has often told his rivals, "You'll do what you're told", throughout his career. MMA fans are doubtful a fight between Jones and Aspinall will come to fruition due to the former's conflicting statements on his fighting future. Jon Jones Blasts UFC Rival Tom Aspinall In X-Rated Rant The former long-reigning light-heavyweight king recently claimed he was " DONE" with the fight game but somewhat retracted the claim the following day. In an impromptu X posting spree, he wrote on X: "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." Jones has repeatedly been accused of "ducking" by MMA fans since his Madison Square mauling of Stipe Miocic. But the Hall of Famer has rubbished those claims, insisting he's already told the UFC brass of his plans. The 37-year-old: "Y'all 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." Jones' adamance that the UFC know his plans came just DAYS after UFC CEO and President Dana White GUARANTEED he'd return to the octagon this year. He told Adam Glyn: "Jon Jones will be fighting in 2025. 100 per cent."
The Independent
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
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. 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. 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.' 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.' With the UFC , 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. '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. '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.' 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. 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.
Forbes
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Teddy Atlas Wonders What Are The Rules For Defending UFC Titles?
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 14: Jon Jones reacts during the UFC 309 press conference at The ... More Theater at Madison Square Garden on November 14, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC) Boxing pundit Teddy Atlas is asking the same question interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall is wondering about, along with many MMA fans. That question is, what are the rules when it comes to defending a UFC title? In this case, the UFC heavyweight title that is gathering dust on the mantle of one Jon Jones. In an interview with Slingo, Atlas said he believed Jones was holding the UFC heavyweight title hostage before wondering if the UFC has relayed the 'rules' of defending its titles to not just Jones, but any of its fighters. 'What are the rules? What are the enforcements? What are the mechanisms in place in this sport, in this business?' Asked Atlas. "What are the rules and are they being enforced? And if they're not being enforced. And they're not being obliged by. They're not being lived up to, or, paid attention to. 'Then you know what the repercussions are. There has to be an enforcement part of those rules. You can't have rules if there's no enforcement of those rules, I mean, what's the sense of having rules?' Jon Jones won the vacant UFC heavyweight title in March 2023, securing a submission win over Ciryl Gane at UFC 285. The expectation was that Jones would defend that title against former two-time champion Stipe Miocic at UFC 295 in November 2023. However, that plan fell to pieces when Jones was forced from the card with a torn pec. With Jones on the sideline and UFC CEO Dana White standing by his decision to make the Jones vs. Miocic fight for the UFC heavyweight title, the promotion opted to insert Tom Aspinall vs. Sergei Pavlovich for the interim heavyweight belt at UFC 295. At the time, Aspinall was ranked No. 4 in the division, while Pavlovich checked in at No. 2. NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 11: Tom Aspinall of England reacts to defeating Sergei Pavlovich of ... More Russia by TKO in the interim UFC heavyweight championship fight during the UFC 295 event at Madison Square Garden on November 11, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) The interim heavyweight title fight lasted 69 seconds, with Aspinall ending the bout via knockout. The Jones vs. Miocic 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. Aspinall has recently voiced his displeasure about waiting for Jones to sign on for a title unification bout, while Jones has said the UFC has known his career plans for a long time and didn't know why the promotion was not communicating those plans. UFC CEO Dana White has remained hopeful that the Jones vs. Aspinall fight will take place in 2025. We will have more on the potential Jones vs. Aspinall title unification bout as news becomes available.
