UFC President Dana White is adamant that Jon Jones will fight Stipe Miocic upon his return from injury, leaving interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall out of the undisputed title picture for now.
Dana White is adamant. He wants Jon Jones to fight Stipe Miocic. Interim champion Tom Aspinall is waiting in the wings, but White’s focus is elsewhere.
Aspinall earned a piece of the heavyweight title last November. He took down Sergei Pavlovich in a stunning 69-second knockout at UFC 295. This interim title fight was set up because Jon Jones, the undisputed heavyweight champion, had to withdraw from a much-anticipated fight against Miocic due to injury.
Jones is expected to be out of the ring for at least the first quarter of 2024. This leaves Aspinall out of the undisputed title picture for now. Both Jones and Miocic have made it clear they only want to fight each other. White discussed the heavyweight belt’s status with TNT Sports, confirming that a fight between Aspinall and either Jones or Miocic isn’t on the cards anytime soon.
When asked if Aspinall could fight Jon Jones, White’s response was a firm “No.” He added, “And we’re not stripping Jon Jones either. He’s the greatest mixed martial artist of all time. You’re a young guy. You were injured there for a while. You’ll get your shot. Just wait. This fight has to happen and then we’ll figure out what’s next for you.”
Jones’ return will mark only his second fight since 2020. He claimed a vacant title by defeating Ciryl Gane at UFC 285. This remains his only heavyweight bout for the promotion.
Aspinall also made a comeback from injury this year. He defeated Marcin Tybura and Pavlovich, securing an interim title. There’s ongoing debate about whether Aspinall should wait for the Jones-Miocic winner or defend his own belt.
White is open to the idea of Aspinall fighting again. He said, “We’ll see how this plays out going into the next year, but Jones and Stipe, the fight, they both deserve it. Jon Jones got injured, there’s nothing he can do about it. I don’t know, we’ll see what happens in ‘24.”
He added, “If Aspinall wants to fight before that fight happens, why not? Why not let him defend it?”
Miocic has been inactive for a while. He hasn’t fought since losing the heavyweight title to Francis Ngannou at UFC 260 in March 2021. At 41, Miocic probably has only a few fights left that he’d like to book.
White has made it clear that Aspinall won’t be one of Miocic’s next opponents. He said, “Well, that ain’t happening. Stipe, you have to understand this, if you look at what Stipe’s accomplished in this sport, what he’s done, where he’s at in his career, he wants the Jon Jones fight, and I get it. Arguably the greatest heavyweight of all time versus the greatest mixed martial artist of all time. He wants that fight.”
The fight between Jones and Miocic is a legacy fight for both men. Miocic was ready for the fight, but it was cancelled just 10 days out. Now, he’s supposed to fight Aspinall? Miocic wants Jones and Jones wants Stipe. It makes sense.
Aspinall has a 7-1 UFC record. His only loss was due to an injury 15 seconds into a fight against Curtis Blaydes. He has several potential challengers for his interim belt, including Blaydes and the undefeated Jailton Almeida. The two are set to meet in a top-contender bout at UFC 299 on March 9.
Ideally, Aspinall’s first title defense would be in his native England. White is excited about this prospect. He said, “He’s the champ. He’s got the belt right now, while Jon Jones is injured. If he wants to defend the title, we’d absolutely do it.”