UFC CEO Dana White will both have an announcement relating to a title unification bout between heavyweight champion Jon Jones and interim titleholder Tom Aspinall within the ‘subsequent couple of weeks.’ If the struggle promotion is unable to finalized the bout, they’re able to ‘transfer on shortly.’
“Jon Jones has been an fascinating human being to cope with for the reason that day he obtained right here,” White stated throughout an look on “The Jim Rome Present.” “However I’ll say this about him: you’ll by no means hear me out speaking about he is the GOAT, he is the this and he is the that, if Jon Jones did not need to struggle individuals.”
Jones has publicly proven little curiosity in dealing with Aspinall however White just lately said that Jones had, a minimum of initially, agreed to face the interim champion.
Jones has been in Thailand filming a Russian model of The Final Fighter probably inflicting a delay in reserving his subsequent struggle. Regardless of the purpose for the champion vs. champion match hasn’t been finalized has nothing to do with Jones scared to face Aspinall.
“Jon Jones has by no means, ever stated, ‘I am afraid to struggle this man,’ or ‘I do not like this struggle for me,’ or any of that stuff,” White stated. “One time, his coach on the time, again within the day – I do not know if he is nonetheless with him or no matter. I believe it is the one struggle we have ever canceled. I needed to cancel a present as a result of he would not struggle Chael Sonnen, as a result of his coach thought it was a nasty thought to take that struggle on late discover, but it surely had nothing to do with Jon Jones.
“Jon Jones has by no means turned down an opponent right here or been afraid to struggle anyone.”
Associated: Spouse shares replace on Ben Askren: ‘Beginning the analysis course of for lung transplant’
In 2012, Jones was scheduled to tackle Dan Henderson within the UFC 151 most important occasion however Henderson was pressured out of the struggle with an damage. The struggle promotion tried to e-book Sonnen as a last-minute substitute however Jones’s camp turned the struggle down and the occasion was subsequently canceled.
Jones was final in motion at UFC 309 in November, defeating former two-time titleholder Stipe Miocic. Aspinall final fought at UFC 304 in July 2024 defeating Curtis Blaydes in a hardly ever ever seen interim title protection. White expects to have an announcement on Jones and Aspinall in a ‘couple of weeks.’
“We’ll see how this factor performs out over the subsequent couple of weeks,” White stated. “If we will’t get this struggle accomplished, we’ll transfer on shortly. I stated a few weeks. We’ll have solutions within the subsequent couple weeks.”
