The petition on Change.org to strip Jon Jones of the undisputed heavyweight title has become a significant topic of discussion in the UFC community. It started on 14 May and has since gathered over 184.264 verified signatures so far. As many former fighters and analysts weighed in on the petition, Dana White has remained silent about it. Meanwhile, we had Jon Anik comment on it during the UFC 316 pre-fight press conference.
The recent PPV press conference was another one where Dana White was nowhere to be found, which was surprising. After all, one of his biggest stars, Sean O’Malley, is set to fight in the main event, so fans would have hoped to see the UFC CEO attend and moderate the presser. As his replacement, Jon Anik took the reins, as he was shot with the question regarding his thoughts on the petition against Jon Jones.
Despite Tom Aspinall claiming that Jon Jones is “retired” and enjoying his best life, the UFC play-by-play commentator appears “hopeful” that the fight will happen this year, claiming there’s a lot to gain from the fight. UFC legend Chael Sonnen had recently predicted the fight would go down in November when the UFC returns to Madison Square Garden. However, Jon Anik believes it is possibly going down in December and that it won’t matter to Jones if he has to vacate the undisputed belt due to the petition. But with two title holders, the stakes of the fight get higher.
“I think a fight between Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall is bigger if they’re both champions. I think… I’m hopeful they’re gonna fight in December in Las Vegas,” Jon Anik stated during the presser. “I have no inside information, but I don’t know that Jon Jones really gives a rip if they strip him off the heavyweight championship. He’s still gonna fight Tom, hopefully, and it’s still going to be a bag.”
LAS VEGAS, NV – March 5: Jon Jones at T-Mobile Arena for UFC 285 -Jones vs Gane : Event on March 5, 2023 in Las Vegas, NV, United States.Photo by Louis Grasse/PxImages Louis Grasse / SPP PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxBRAxMEX Copyright: xLouisxGrassex/xSPPx SPP_157509
Jon Jones, meanwhile, has already mentioned publicly that he and Tom Aspinall have agreed to the terms while negotiating with the UFC. They’re just waiting on Dana White and Co. to make the official announcement. So, one must wonder why there is so much delay, to which a UFC legend shared a theory. Here’s what he had to say.
UFC legend weighs in on Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall fight delay
It’s certainly been a long time since there has been a feeling about a big fight like the potential Jon Jones vs Tom Aspinall. It is pretty much like the Conor McGregor vs Khabib Nurmagomedov fight that caught the attention of every section of the MMA community, but Dana White believes this heavyweight fight could be bigger. Michael Bisping recently addressed the fight’s delay, claiming that the UFC wants to do everything right in setting up this fight since it’s the biggest one the CEO has on his hands.
“This is one of the most highly anticipated fights in all of UFC history. You can’t just announce it, ‘Oh, the fight is going to happen’. No,” Michel Bisping stated on his YouTube channel. “A fight of this magnitude, the UFC wanna do a proper job. They wanna announce it in spectacular fashion, they wanna have a press conference, they want the world’s media there. They don’t want someone on YouTube or whatever going, ‘Yeah, that fight’s happening.’”
Well, Jon Anik may or may not have leaked the planned date for the impending heavyweight clash. But if Dana White had been present at the UFC 316 pre-fight press conference, it’d have given fans much more comfort to listen to what he had to say about the fight, and of course, the petition. What do you make of Anik’s comments? Let us know in the comments down below.
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