If you don’t know what being in a state of limbo feels like, just ask the UFC Interim-heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall. The story is old now, and talking about it again and again is like beating a dead horse. But… we will continue to talk about this story until the fight happens. Why? Well, because Dana White is trying his best to convince us that the fight will happen, despite Jon Jones now saying that “he’s done,”, in a conversation with the Moscow MMA Federation Vice-President Kamil Gadzhiev.
And what about Tom Aspinall—the unwilling holder of the title for the longest-reigning interim champion in UFC history, with one interim title defense in the bag? Well, he, his father, Andy Aspinall, and pretty much the whole fandom have been voicing their frustration. All to the point of Aspinall even willing to face another contender, because Jon Jones seems like he’s just toying with the Englishman at this point.
Understandably frustrated, Tom Aspinall candidly once stated, “I’ve had enough talking about it, mate. Honestly, bored of it. We’ll see what happens, yeah, we will just see. I’m ready to fight whenever they tell me. So, just let me know and I will be there.” The 32-year-old heavyweight prospect has been hanging in the fray for Jon Jones to oblige him for almost two years now. As Jones continues to get on the nerves of fans, he is contributing to the stagnation of a legendary career in the making, while holding the whole division hostage as well.
Dutch MMA legend Bas Rutten feels for the British fighter. When Rutten was asked by Submission Radio about his thoughts on the current situation, ‘El Guapo’ admitted, “You know, I saw a special on him a while ago, and it’s one of those things that, when you see him and the relationship with his father and everybody, he’s such a good dude, too. And then Jon also—Jon went through all the crap and all this stuff, and then he starts coming out of it. I always liked Jon; I always thought he was a great guy, also.”
While showing his admiration for Aspinall, Rutten also defended Jon Jones, saying, “Yes, we have our demons. I have my demons. There was just no social media at the time. I was crazy. But that was literally our savior as well. We were crazy. We did some stupid stuff. Okay, certain things not, but, you know, listen, if you do something crazy—whatever it is—you do something crazy.”
Madison Square Garden NEW YORK CITY, NY -NOVEMBER 16:Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic meet in the octagon for a 3-round bout for UFC309 – Jones vs Miocic at Madison Square Garden on November 16, 2024 in New York City, NY Photo by Louis Grasse/PxImages Louis Grasse / SPP PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxBRAxMEX Copyright: xLouisxGrassex/xSPPx spp-en-LoGr-lrg2411164283824_UFCVegas309
And where are we currently with the community and their take on this situation? Well, there have been rallying calls by fighters calling for the UFC to take action against the heavyweight champion of the world. What did they say? Let’s find out.
Is Jon Jones avoiding the Tom Aspinall fight? MMA veterans want him stripped of the belt
The third year of Jon Jones as our heavyweight champion is now underway, but the American phenom has only defended the title once, despite having an interim champion ready to go. There have been speculations, rumors, and whatnot regarding their fight, yet an official announcement is yet to be made. As for Jones, he’s been defiant, even going to the extent of mocking fans. Understandably, veterans of the MMA world have spoken about the issue and do not have an issue with Jones being stripped of the title.
While talking about the issue, former UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champion Daniel ‘DC’ Cormier voiced his support for Aspinall, stating: “Tom Aspinall is the guy that’s going to lead the heavyweight division for years to come, so yes, I believe that he should be the undisputed champ.”
Similarly, former UFC middleweight champion and Hall of Famer Michael Bisping, criticized Jones’ avoidance of Aspinall, remarking: “If he refuses to fight Tom Aspinall next, then we’ve got to start having a serious conversation as to whether or not this man should be stripped.”
Recently, as Islam Makhachev announced his vacating the lightweight title to get a shot at the welterweight title against the newly crowned champion Jack Della Maddalena, people started asking if he insisted upon vacating the belt. Fellow countryman of Aspinall, Paddy Pimblett joined the discussion using Jones as example, he said, “But, if you’re making Islam vacate, Jones needs to be stripped. If you’re making Islam Makhachev vacate, then Jon Jones should be stripped too.”
So will the UFC go through with it? Stripping Jones of the belt will destroy any chances of his clash against Aspinall. However, if things aren’t official soon, the backlash against Jon Jones will only increase. What do you think? Let us know in the comments.
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