Dana White Urged to ‘Strip Jon Jones’ by Joe Rogan’s Commentary Colleague

Former rival calls UFC to strip Jon Jones after the heavyweight champion reveals having no interest in fighting Tom Aspinall.

Dana White Urged to ‘Strip Jon Jones’ by Joe Rogan’s Commentary Colleague

Daniel Cormier wants Jon Jones to be stripped (via MMA Fighting)

The UFC heavyweight division is stuck since Jon Jones continues to avoid Tom Aspinall despite being the reigning undisputed champion. Aspinall, holding the interim belt for approximately 586 days, has yet to receive a unification title bout opportunity. This prolonged delay has sparked widespread frustration, with many analysts and former fighters heavily criticizing Jones’ lack of willingness.

In a recent FULL SEND PODCAST interview, Jones claimed he currently has no intentions of fighting anyone at all. Things escalated quickly as Jones abruptly left the set when the hosts brought up interim champion Aspinall’s name. Following that, Daniel Cormier on his YouTube, urged UFC to intervene and take strict action regarding this prolonged heavyweight mess.

Right now, it’s time to strip him. He doesn’t want to fight this guy [Aspinall]. If he does not sound like he is going to fight, it’s time to take the belt. It’s time to move on. And hope that the itch he speaks about comes back and if it does, stick him in there with Tom Aspinall. Give him no other choice.

After retirement, Cormier has focused on content creation and regularly appears on commentary panels alongside UFC legend Joe Rogan. Despite a fierce rivalry with Jones, DC often offers unbiased takes and acknowledges Jones’ incredible accomplishments inside the octagon. Still, Cormier insists Jones’ past PED violations tarnish claims of him being considered the undisputed greatest fighter in UFC history.

Lately, Cormier has strongly promoted Aspinall and even offered advice on how to mentally pressurize Jones. Unfortunately, all attempts have failed, and the UK native remains frustrated, feeling his prime is being wasted without meaningful title progression. Though Aspinall considered moving on and fighting others, the UFC reportedly denied his requests, keeping him in limbo.

CEO Dana White has repeatedly claimed Jones vs. Aspinall could be the biggest heavyweight fight in recent history. White insists the promotion is still working hard behind the scenes to make that long-awaited unification showdown finally happen soon. However, with Jones uninterested and possibly retiring, White admits they’ll wait just weeks before officially abandoning the potential matchup.

Jon Jones’ unfair treatment gets called out by veteran coach

One of the most shocking moves in recent times was Islam Makhachev vacating his UFC lightweight title to move up. The pound-for-pound number one wanted to fight the welterweight champion and become a two-division champion in UFC history. However, the UFC forced him to vacate the title and booked Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira to fight for it.

Jon Jones gets unfair treatment in UFC
Jon Jones gets unfair treatment in UFC (via Imago)

Many criticized UFC for unfairly treating Makhachev despite his dominant and highly respected lightweight title reign. Fighters like Paddy Pimblett slammed the promotion for hypocrisy, pointing out Jon Jones hasn’t received the same consequences or pressure. Makhachev’s longtime coach, Javier Mendez, recently addressed the situation publicly and didn’t hide his disappointment.

Obviously, it’s unfair, but you know what? If we start complaining about the UFC being unfair, then you’re not doing your homework. This is an entertainment sport first, and they’re about what’s going to make the most money for the company. So, if you’re not making enough noise, if you’re not making the right moves, then you’re not going to get the right opportunity.

The Dagestani is undoubtedly one of the most popular fighters globally and consistently draws massive attention toward the UFC brand. According to teammate Umar Nurmagomedov, the UFC has overlooked Makhachev in favor of pushing Ilia Topuria into the spotlight. Now, it will be very interesting to watch which of these rising superstars finds success in their respective upcoming superfights.