UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones has been attracting negative press for a while now, with accusations of holding up the heavyweight division. However, now the grandson of the legendary heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali, Nico Ali Walsh, seems to have handed the undefeated champion a great opportunity to get things going.
You see, the issue is that Jones has been facing backlash for his limited activity and reluctance to fight interim champion Tom Aspinall. Since acquiring the belt back in March 2023 by submitting Ciryl Gane, the 37-year-old has fought just once, against Stipe Miocic in November 2024 at UFC 309. Meanwhile, Aspinall acquired the interim title in November 2023 by defeating Sergei Pavlovich.
He defended the title once against Curtis Blaydes in July 2024 and hasn’t fought since because Jones reportedly requested six months to prepare for Aspinall, delaying a unification bout. To make things worse, Jones has also expressed his desire to fight former light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira instead of Aspinal, and got labeled a ‘duck.’ His biggest rival, Daniel Cormier, believes Jones is afraid of getting knocked out by Aspinal.
However, Jones’ former opponent, Anthony Smith, has another theory. “Jon is a master manipulator, and he is a master at mind games that are behind the sport. He’s been doing it for years against the best guys in the world,” Smith told ESPN, suggesting Jones is causing the delays on purpose. Nonetheless, Dana White has recently confirmed that Jones would fight in 2025, even though no specifics have been revealed.
Via Imago
Despite that, Nico Ali Walsh shared who Jones should fight next if he plans on delaying the Aspinall bout even further. You see, the heavyweight champion shared a clip on Instagram with internet personality Hasbulla Magomedov, where he can be seen picking up the 22-year-old suffering from dwarfism and spinning him around in his arms.
Ali Walsh shared this clip on his Instagram story, writing, “The greatest matchup of all time,” sarcastically suggesting Jones should fight Hasbulla. Nevertheless, even Jon Jones has made accusations!
Jon Jones accuses the UFC of withholding information about Tom Aspinall
Jon Jones has accused the UFC of failing to disclose his plans amid growing criticism over his reluctance to fight interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall. After fans mocked him online, one wrote, “enjoying your last days as champ before being stripped i see eh jon?” Jones replied, “Stripped? Lol do I come across as the type of person who cares about things like that?”
MMA: UFC Fight Night-Volkov vs Aspinall, Mar 19, 2022 London, UK Tom Aspinall blue gloves defeats Alexander Volkov red gloves during UFC Fight Night at O2 Arena. Mandatory Credit: Per Haljestam-USA TODAY Sports, 19.03.2022 23:50:09, 17932212, UFC Fight Night, Alexander Volkov, MMA PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xPerxHaljestamx 17932212
Another user challenged him on not vacating the belt, prompting Jones to reveal, “Y’all barkin up the wrong tree, I told the Ufc my plans a long time ago. I have no clue why they haven’t shared them with you guys yet.” When pressed about his intentions, Jones said his plan is “to continue to monetize on this amazing brand that I’ve created.”
With the UFC’s pay-per-view schedule filled until September, a Jones vs. Aspinall fight is unlikely before October, leaving the heavyweight division in limbo.
That said, it appears Nico Ali Walsh took a cheeky dig at Jon Jones because of his inactivity. However, as people accuse Jones of avoiding the fight, he accuses the UFC of withholding information about his intentions. What do you make of this situation?
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