“My Body Hurts” – Jon Jones Gets Real on Fighting Tom Aspinall Amidst Uproar

UFC GOAT candidate Jon Jones comes clean about his much-anticipated title unification bout against interim title holder Tom Aspinall.

“My Body Hurts” – Jon Jones Gets Real on Fighting Tom Aspinall Amidst Uproar

Jon Jones believes Tom Aspinall should stop chasing him (via Imago)

Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall is UFC’s biggest possible fight, but the excitement around it has slowly started fading away. Aspinall has relentlessly pursued the title unification for over a year, yet he hasn’t been able to secure the bout. Jones still hasn’t signed the contract, causing frustration among fans who are openly expressing disappointment with the ongoing delay.

A latest petition with over 150K signatures has gone viral online with fans demanding Jones be stripped of his championship title. ‘Bones’ recently interacted with his MMA community on X where he responded to several questions regarding the ongoing heavyweight title situation. One fan suggested that, due to the delays, both Jones and Aspinall should be stripped, and Jones responded in detail.

There’s an interesting take! Sh*t, I’m 37 years old now. My body hurts everywhere if I’m being honest. Funny how Tommy boy talks zero sh*t to the studs of his generation. Barely even mention their names.

Jon Jones via X

According to Jones, Aspinall should stop chasing him and start fighting top heavyweights to help move the division forward. One of the top names Jones suggested for Aspinall to face is his former opponent and top-ranked contender Ciryl Gane. During the interaction, Jones expressed belief that the Frenchman has a real chance of defeating Aspinall.

Apart from that, Aspinall has already faced top heavyweights like Sergei Pavlovich, Marcin Tybura, Alexander Volkov and several others. He recently defended his interim championship against Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304, securing a dominant knockout victory in the first round.

The UK fighter now holds the record for longest-reigning interim champion, a stat he finds disappointing rather than something to celebrate. Last year, Aspinall did everything in his power to fight Jones but it didn’t work and his frustration is quite palpable.

The fighter has no plans to waste his time like Michael Chandler did against Conor McGregor and wants to move on. However, according to Aspinall, the UFC isn’t letting him fight anybody else due to the huge pay-per-view potential of him fighting Jones.

Jon Jones blames the UFC for the delay in the Tom Aspinall fight

Jon Jones was recently in Thailand for a shoot for a Russian reality TV show, inspired by The Ultimate Fighter. While sharing clips from Muay Thai gyms and beaches, he subtly hinted that retirement is on his mind after his next UFC appearance. Fans flooded his social media demanding he vacate the title if he’s not defending it, but Jones has stayed completely silent.

Jon Jones reveals UFC’s intervention in his fight negotiations with Tom Aspinall
Jon Jones reveals UFC’s intervention in his fight negotiations with Tom Aspinall (via Imago)

His refusal to be concerned about getting stripped further motivated fans to criticize him, giving him all the attention. Jones had also said that UFC has asked him and Aspinall not to talk about the negotiations that went on behind the scenes. During his recent X intersection, the American fighter confirmed this and shared his current situation and deal between him and the UFC.

I spoke to the UFC a long time ago about what my future plans were. I haven’t really worked out since my last fight in New York City. Honestly, I believe it’s been in the UFC’s best interest to keep presenting me as the company’s champion—not Tom. I’ve just been playing the role of the company man by doing nothing at all… and holding the position. It sucks to see the rest of the division get slowed down like this, but that has nothing to do with me. I don’t pull the strings.

Jon Jones via X

Jones has previously talked about retirement and it won’t be surprising to see him leave after fighting Aspinall. As a result, he wants to get a massive fight purse and it seems like UFC has also agreed to it. Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see how things will turn in the near future.

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