“There’s no way in hell Jon Jones doesn’t want to fight Aspinall. I guarantee you,” Dana White said last year when asked about the division’s standstill and Jon Jones’ refusal to face interim champ Tom Aspinall. As of May, the Brit has held the interim belt for over 500 days, while the heavyweight division remains in limbo, cornered by Jones’ inactivity. With over 100,000 fans demanding that Jones be stripped, pressure mounts on the UFC CEO like never before. And now, amid the chaos, ‘Bones’ has finally broken his silence with a statement that may have just answered the burning question haunting the MMA world.
With only two fights in the heavyweight division—against Ciryl Gane and Stipe Miocic—Jon Jones now finds himself at a crossroads. As contenders line up for a shot at the title, Jones remains sidelined, offering no concrete evidence of a potential comeback. As the anticipation of his comeback grows bigger, the fans are restless to witness him inside the Octagon, and amidst this, he has dropped a concerning update that might have just ended every possibility of his fight against Aspinall.
While in a conversation with ‘DeepCut with VicBlends podcast,’ Jon Jones claimed that he is a person who won’t be able to handle any loss in his career, “I don’t think I can ever be a person who loves fighting as a non-winner. For me, I’m so connected to winning. It’s probably not even healthy, you know.”
Jon Jones says he’d be ‘devastated’ if he ever lost
“I’m so connected to winning, it’s probably not even healthy. I see fighters that take losses and they smile, they hug their wives, and ‘better luck next time’.
If I was to ever lose I would be devastated. I’d be angry, upset… pic.twitter.com/5vyPRG3Gma
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) May 29, 2025
He further added, “I see fighters that take losses, and they smile and they hug their wives… ‘Hey, better luck next time.’ If I were to ever lose, I would be devastated. I’d be angry. I’d be upset and depressed. That’s just my winning nature. For me, it’s do it with all your heart. Do it at the highest level. Do it to the best of your ability or don’t do it at all.”
With a career record of 28 victories and just 1 defeat, Jon Jones has been dominant throughout his career. The lone loss on his record is due to a disqualification against Matt Hamill. His recent comments may be seen as a justified outburst, considering he has been repeatedly called out by fans. With the UFC still not resolving the situation, Jones might be forced to retire before ever getting the chance to fight Tom Aspinall. Regardless, let us have a look at what the fans have to say.
MMA community rips apart Jon Jones for his “devastated” comments on losing
Knowing very well that Jon Jones might be demanding an exorbitant amount of money to fight Tom Aspinall, the MMA community is demanding answers from UFC CEO Dana White. While White has consistently stated that he would make the fight happen, when it will happen remains the unanswered question. To kick things off, we have a curious MMA fan who believes the UFC might already know the real reason why Jon Jones isn’t fighting Aspinall: “That’s why he won’t fight Tom lol.”
A social media user reminded Jon Jones about his fate against Dominick Reyes and Alexander Gustafsson, “Jon Jones says he’d be crushed if he lost, but he already lost to Gustafsson and Reyes . So he survived twice.” Jon Jones won against them by unanimous decision, but many fans believe otherwise. Both Reyes and Gustafsson gave him nightmare performances that still haunt his legacy, as fans to this day believe Jones lost those fights.
Moreover, another social media user is just flabbergasted by the fact that UFC hasn’t stripped him from the belt as of yet, “makes sense why he does not want to fight Tom, too much risk involved for him and he knows it could be his last fight and does not want to go out that way having said that idk how UFC hasn’t stripped him yet.”
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-lrg2411164283830_UFCVegas309
A concerned fan stated, “A loss to Aspinall and dude will probably crash out worse than BJ Penn.” The former lightweight and welterweight champion is currently going through a rough phase in his life, having accused the government of replacing his mother, brothers, and friends with federal agents using fake identities. While his condition is indeed concerning, one fan suggested that a loss to Tom Aspinall might push Jon Jones into a similar state.
Furthermore, a social media user believes that Jon Jones might get knocked out in his fight against Aspinall, “Exactly why he won’t fight Aspinal because there’s a decent chance he gets put out cold.” Jones finally found some support, “I’d honestly be so shocked if he fought aspinall, if he doesn’t I don’t blame him, he’s an old man.”
Jon Jones has been dodging every question that even slightly mentions Tom Aspinall. Fans are demanding he be stripped of his title, but the UFC seems to have other plans. Given that, what are your thoughts on all the buzz? Share your opinion in the comments below.
The post UFC World Blames Jon Jones’ Fear of Being “Devastated” for Tom Aspinall Match Hiatus appeared first on EssentiallySports.