UFC President Dana White has made a firm declaration regarding Jon Jones` future in fighting, amid ongoing questions about a potential heavyweight title unification match against Tom Aspinall.
Discussions for this significant bout have been ongoing since November of last year, but it has yet to be officially confirmed, even after UFC management reportedly agreed to Jones` financial terms.
The continued delay has led many mixed martial arts fans to doubt whether the fight will ever take place.
However, during a recent online session, a resolute White stated: “We`ll get Aspinall vs Jones done. The heavyweight fight will happen. Just relax, I`ll announce that soon.”
White has since unequivocally guaranteed that Jones, a former pound-for-pound king, will compete this year.
He told interviewer Adam Glyn: “Jon Jones will be fighting in 2025. 100 per cent.”
White`s initial comments came after he revealed several upcoming pay-per-view main events, including the headline fight for UFC 317 scheduled for June 28.
The promoter announced that the main event for the International Fight Week card will feature Georgian-born Spaniard Ilia Topuria facing fan favorite Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight title.
White also confirmed that the co-main event will see Alexandre Pantoja defend his men`s flyweight title for the fourth time against Kai Kara-France.
With the current UFC pay-per-view schedule set, the potential Jones vs Aspinall fight, if confirmed, would likely take place no earlier than September.
Reports suggest the fight is provisionally scheduled for UFC 322, expected to be held at Madison Square Garden in November. However, a final date for the promotion`s annual event at `The World`s Most Famous Arena` has not yet been set.
Former two-division champion Jones has faced repeated accusations of “ducking” interim champion Aspinall since his last planned title defense against Stipe Miocic in November was canceled due to injury.
The Hall-of-Famer has been bothered by claims he is avoiding the British fighter and recently addressed his critics online, stating: “I’ve got people in the chat calling me a duck. Meanwhile, I`m living my absolute best life. I don’t know if it’s considered ducking when you’re living good. I don’t think it works like that.”
Jones recently provoked ire among fans with a playful jab at Aspinall, commenting on his own lack of recent activity. On a joint social media post announcing a training seminar, he humorously wrote: “Everything but fighting.”
Percy Harlow