Jon Jones, the UFC heavyweight champion, dismisses criticism for not fighting interim champion Tom Aspinall, while Aspinall expresses readiness to move on if a fight with Jones doesn’t materialize soon.
Jon Jones is all smiles, no matter what anyone says about his career choices. The current UFC heavyweight champ, known for his light heavyweight greatness, took a moment during an Instagram Live chat to address his critics. Some are calling him a "duck" for not wanting to fight interim champ Tom Aspinall. Jones snagged a vacant title in March 2023 after Francis Ngannou left the UFC, and he’s defended it once by beating a retiring Stipe Miocic last November.
Aspinall, with an 8-1 record in the UFC’s heavyweight division, has also defended his title. He avenged his only octagon loss by defeating Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304. "I’ve got people in the chat calling me a ‘duck,’" Jones said. "Meanwhile, I’m living my absolute best life."
"I don’t know if it’s considered ducking when you’re living good," Jones continued. "I don’t think it works like that." Aspinall, on his end, has expressed multiple times his eagerness to fight Jones, one of MMA’s all-time greats. However, he’s ready to move on if the UFC pairs him with someone else.
In a chat with the High Performance Podcast, Aspinall mentioned he’s tired of waiting for Jones. "When you put him in there with, and I’m not trying to blow my own trumpet, but I’m literally the most dangerous guy in the UFC if you look at the stats," Aspinall said. "Jon’s a smart guy and realizes that, so he wants to be compensated financially for it."
"I’m well bored of [the Jones conversation]," Aspinall added. "I’ve had enough. We either need to fight, or I need to move on to something else."