Jon Jones accuses UFC of withholding Tom Aspinall information from fans

A unification fight between the heavyweight champions has been mooted for a year-and-a-half

Jon Jones has accused the UFC of failing to “share” his plans with fans, as they continue to mock him over his apparent decision not to fight Tom Aspinall.

In November 2023, Aspinall won the interim heavyweight title after Jones sustained an injury and could not defend the regular belt against Stipe Miocic. Twelve months later, Jones returned and retained his title against the heavyweight great, but only after Aspinall retained the interim version in July.

Despite the champions naturally being lined up for a unification bout, 37-year-old Jones has said he is not keen on facing the Briton, 32. As a result, the fighters and belts have been left in limbo, although UFC president Dana White promised this month that he would announce the match-up soon.

One X/Twitter user wrote to Jones on Sunday (18 May), “enjoying your last days as champ before being stripped [of your title] i see eh jon?”, to which the American replied: “Stripped? Lol do I come across as the type of person who cares about things like that ?”

Another user replied: “Yes otherwise you’d have vacated the belt a long time ago because you don’t plan to fight Tom.” Jones then hit back again, writing: “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.”

When one fan asked, “What exactly are your plans?”, Jones responded: “To continue to monetize on this amazing brand that I’ve created.” Another pressed, “So are you fighting again or not? You are the current champion of the division,” with Jones replying: “Not a bad idea.”

Jon Jones (right) stopped Stipe Miocic in November, retaining the regular UFC heavyweight title (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

The former two-time light-heavyweight champion also fired back at a fan who urged Jones to “shut the f*** up and fight”, writing: “This, this attitude, right here is making me a very wealthy man. This desperation is incredibly lucrative, so thank you. Keep it coming.”

With the UFC having announced main events for its pay-per-views in June, July and August, as well as a Mexican-centric event in September, Jones vs Aspinall is unlikely to happen before October.

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.

Tom Aspinall (left) drops Curtis Blaydes before sealing the knockout in their rematch (REUTERS)

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 heavyweight 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.