Mixed martial arts enthusiasts are urging UFC President Dana White to remove Jon Jones from his position as heavyweight champion after Tom Aspinall achieved an unwanted milestone.
A highly anticipated unification bout between the undisputed and interim titleholders has not yet materialized, despite initial plans dating back to November of last year.
Aspinall, 32 years old, secured the interim UFC heavyweight belt in November 2023 with a rapid 69-second knockout victory over Sergei Pavlovich. This happened after Jones had to withdraw due to a pectoral injury.
Just this week, Aspinall, the fighter from Wigan, set a new record in UFC history by becoming the longest-reigning interim champion. He surpassed the previous record of 534 days held by Renan Barao as the interim men`s bantamweight champion.
In response, numerous MMA fans have taken to social media to demand that UFC head Dana White vacate Jones` title and elevate Aspinall to the status of undisputed heavyweight champion.
Comments from fans included:
“Strip Jon Jones.”
“Take the f***ing belt away from Jon Jones!!! [The] guy is not the f***ing heavyweight champ.”
“Jon Jones has become a detriment to the sport in his later years.”
“This is f***ing embarrassing, get your s**t together, Dana White.”
“It`s disgusting how Tom Aspinall got robbed of an undisputed heavyweight title reign.”
These calls for White to strip Jones come shortly after the promoter insisted that the planned fight between the former pound-for-pound king and Aspinall is still on track.
Commenting on earlier reports that the fight had been `agreed`, White stated recently, “Everything you hear is bulls**t until we say it.”
He added, “I’ve said it many times, that’s the fight we want to make this year, [I`m] still super confident [it happens]. I`ve said since Day One that this would be the biggest heavyweight fight in the history of the company and the history of the sport. This will be a big one.”
Jones, who previously held the light-heavyweight title for an extended period, has not competed since defeating Stipe Miocic with a spectacular spinning back kick at UFC 309 last November.
Aspinall, conversely, has been inactive since his dominant 60-second victory over Curtis Blaydes in their rematch at UFC 304 last July.
Percy Harlow