What’s the Holdup with Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall?
It has become somewhat of a running gag amongst the MMA community that UFC President Dana White has an extreme bias towards UFC Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones. Even though the extent to which fans think Dana White gives favoritism towards Jones is greatly exaggerated, there may be some truth to the claim. Jon Jones has been holding up the Heavyweight Division for five months now, two years if you discredit the Stipe Miocic defense as many do. With a generational talent’s career wasting away while he waits for his deserved championship opportunity, fans can only wonder if Dana White is making a mistake by not vacating the Heavyweight Championship.
Believed to be the greatest fighter of all time by the majority of MMA fans, myself included, Jon Jones has had no shortage of high-intensity rivalries. Alexander Gustafsson gave Jon Jones the toughest fight of his life in 2013. Rashad Evans was the first fighter to display a true disdain for the all-time great. Of course, who could forget Jones' historic rivalry with Daniel Cormier? It’s safe to say that Jones has had his fair share of bitter foes throughout his illustrious 16-year UFC career. However, Jon Jones has found himself in a new rivalry, unique from his others.
Even though Jon Jones holds claim to the UFC Heavyweight Championship, many would argue that the UFC Heavyweight Interim Champion is the best Heavyweight on the planet. Tom Aspinall has been nothing short of remarkable since entering the UFC. Aspinall holds the distinction of having the speed of a Middleweight while also having the power of a true Heavyweight. This rare combination has proven wildly successful for Aspinall, as he captured the Interim UFC Championship in 2023. Only having one loss in his UFC career, which came after a freak leg injury in 2022, the Brit has only had one UFC fight leave the first round. Throughout all of Tom Aspinall’s success, he has still been unable to accomplish his ultimate goal: to fight for the Undisputed Heavyweight Championship.
In 2025, there is no fight that UFC fans want more than Jon Jones defending his Heavyweight Championship against Tom Aspinall. As of now, it is unclear if the mega fight between Jones and Aspinall will ever happen. Jon Jones seems to be in no rush to get the fight signed, as ‘Bones’ has even considered retirement. Tom Aspinall is in the prime of his career. A prime that is currently being wasted by circumstances that are out of his control. There is no doubt that Jon Jones is an undisputed great who should make the best decision not only for his career, but also for his health. However, the Heavyweight Division is currently at a complete standstill because of Jones. We all know just how short UFC primes can be, and with time ticking on a generational talent's prime, such as Tom Aspinall, it may be in the UFC’s best interest to give Jones an ultimatum: Defend or vacate.
