Welcome to the latest segment of the conundrum that is the heavyweight title unification saga! Fight fans have been eagerly waiting for Jon Jones to finally face interim king Tom Aspinall in what would be a blockbuster matchup. Even Dana White has voiced prime interest in making the highly anticipated clash happen. But despite the buzz, it seems like that fight is slipping further out of reach. According to UFC legend Chael Sonnen, Aspinall is now speculated to defend his interim title against Ciryl Gane instead at UFC 317, leaving fans wondering if the dream matchup with Jones will ever come to fruition.
“The current plan right now, Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane for the interim championship,” said Chael Sonnen recently on his YouTube channel. Moreover, the Englishman has also preferred to keep his mouth shut about his opponent and the date after revealing that he has a fight coming up. For UFC legend Michael Bisping, fighting Ciryl Gane is odd for Aspinall because it means that he would have to put his interim belt on the line for a second time. Moreover, ‘The Count’ wants Dana White to make some changes if this is the route that the matchmakers want to go down.
If you’re wondering what change Michael Bisping is calling for, well, he simply wants the UFC to strip Jones of his undisputed title. ‘The Count’ claimed this is the only way to go, as ‘Bones’ doesn’t seem to be a fan of fighting Aspinall. And guess what? Bisping claimed that this could negatively impact Jones’ legacy and his body of work in MMA.
“Tom Aspinall said recently on his YouTube channel there there’s gonna be news soon of a fight, but he was sworn to secrecy… When he fights, it’s going to be a big moment… But is it gonna be against Ciryl Gane? Because if it is, they have to strip Jon Jones,” said Michael Bisping on YouTube. “If they have to bring in another guy for Tom to defend the interim strap two times… because Jon Jones doesn’t want to fight him, then I’m sorry. This is really gonna tarnish his legacy.”
Jones has been in the game since 2008 and has taken on some of the biggest legends that the sport has to offer under the UFC banner. With a record 16 fight title wins and an unmatched 28-1 MMA record, Bisping also believes that Jones has already done everything and has nothing left to prove. But if he’s not going to fight for the title unification bout, getting the title off him makes sense.
“Jon Jones, without a shadow of a doubt, [is] one of the greatest of all time… Look at what he did throughout his entire career. Taking on generations of champions… So, I don’t think he’s necessarily scared, but he’s probably like, ‘Oh s–t! Tom Aspinall is knocking everyone out,” Bisping added. “But if Jon Jones doesn’t wanna fight and they’ve got to bring in Ciryl Gane, then they’ve got to talk about stripping this guy.”
March 4, 2023, Las Vegas, NV, LAS VEGAS, NV, USA: LAS VEGAS, NV – MARCH 4: Jon Jones celebrates his victory over Ciryl Gane in their Heavyweight fight during the UFC 285 event at T-Mobile Arena on March 4, 2023, in Las Vegas, NV, USA. Las Vegas, NV USA – ZUMAp175 20230304_zsa_p175_268 Copyright: xLouisxGrassex
Much like Michael Bisping, Chael Sonnen also admitted to the fact that putting an interim title on the line is “against the laws of logic and the Oxford English Dictionary’s definition of champion, as well as undisputed as well as interim.” But whose fault is this really? Well, MMA journalist Ariel Helwani claims that it’s certainly not the UFC’s fault. Here’s what he had to say!
MMA insider claims the decision to fight Tom Aspinall is up to Jon Jones
Dana White has gained fame as a pretty hard-nosed promoter, often pushing fighters to take up fights that they didn’t necessarily want to. Guess what? Jon Jones got a taste of that when he tried to avoid fighting Chael Sonnen at UFC 151, who had stepped in as a replacement for Dan Henderson. This led to an event being canceled in the history of UFC for the first time. White would eventually pair them up in the future, so fans may wonder. Why hasn’t the 55-year-old done that this time?
Well, Ariel Helwani claimed that, according to his sources, White and the UFC have tried to set this up, but ultimately it’s Jones who’s not willing to go ahead with the Tom Aspinall fight, placing the blame on ‘Bones’ for the delay. “Obviously, when fights don’t come to fruition, there’s a multitude of reasons as to why fights don’t happen. But in my opinion, if this fight doesn’t happen, it’s not because of the UFC. It’s not because of Tom Aspinall as well,” Ariel Helwani stated on his self-titled YouTube show.
“I think ultimately, who will decide whether or not this fight happens or not is Jon Jones… If Jon wants the fight to happen today, and I don’t mean like the fight to actually be fought today, but like done deal today, it could be a done deal today. It’s up to him and it’s always been up to him.”
Nothing has been made official yet, as we wait to see if the interim title will be on the line again, or if the UFC somehow convinces Jon Jones to fight Tom Aspinall. But do you want to see the undisputed champion stripped of the undisputed title? Drop your comments below.
The post Michael Bisping Gives Jon Jones a Hard Hitting Reminder on Tom Aspinall vs. Cyril Gane Fight ‘Tarnishing’ His Legacy appeared first on EssentiallySports.