The UFC continues to face mounting pressure from fans to strip Jon Jones of his heavyweight title after a petition surged to almost 140,000 signatures.
The Change petition has called for the legendary American to be removed as undisputed heavyweight king in the UFC, with Tom Aspinall patiently waiting for his opportunity as interim champion.
The Briton has not fought since beating Curtis Blaydes by knockout last July and has grown tired of waiting for Jones to make a decision on his future, with conflicting comments suggesting the 37-year-old could opt to retire.
With just over 138,000 signature at the time of writing, Dana White continues to face calls to make a definitive decision on Jones’ future, with negotiations continuing to drag.
The petition claims Jones has “refused” to fight Aspinall, and that the 32-year-old is poised and ready to fight the American.
“We as fans must let Dana White know: It is time to strip Jon Jones of the heavyweight title. He clearly has no intentions of fighting anytime soon,” the petition concluded.
The latest comments in a war of words between both sides has seen Jones fire back at his rival, ordering him to “shut up and do what you’re told”.
In one of the most controversial UFC sagas in recent memory, Jones and Aspinall continue to hold a heavyweight title each, without having a unification bout booked.
Jones, a former two-time light-heavyweight champion, won the vacant heavyweight belt in March 2023, but a planned defence against divisional great Stipe Miocic collapsed later that year when Jones suffered an injury. Aspinall and Sergei Pavlovich stepped up, with the Briton knocking out the Russian to win the interim title, while Jones’s clash with Miocic was delayed by 12 months.
Last November, Jones stopped his fellow American to retain the regular belt, seemingly setting up a fight with Aspinall, who retained the interim strap last July.
However, Jones has continued to play coy over the prospect of that contest coming to fruition. As such, Aspinall opened up on the mental toll of the saga this week, telling UFC legend Demetrious Johnson: “I’ve been almost a year inactive with no prospects of anything apart from ‘wait’. So, now it’s actually a bit more of a tricky time for me mentally than it was [when I was out for 12 months with an injury, from 2023 until 2024].
“Now, it’s just like: ‘Just be ready and we’ll just let you know.’ It’s kind of difficult mentally, but this is the fight against Jon Jones. The fight is another thing, this is the tricky bit where I really have to stay switched on, stay motivated, and I’m trying my best. It’s tough sometimes.”
Verdict MMA shared the 32-year-old’s quotes on Instagram, and 37-year-old Jones commented, “Shut your mouth and do as you’re told,” along with a laughing emoji.
The comment comes during a week in which Jones has been as vague as ever over the chances of him fighting Aspinall.
In one video, he said, “I’m done,” though he tweeted on the same day: “I don’t know if I wanna call it retired, I feel like I’ll always have an ability to pop out and show em. I’ve had many breaks throughout my career, my identity outside of fighting is well intact. I’m genuinely enjoying life, I’m growing in different ways.”
And earlier in the week, he tweeted: “Yall 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.
“Lol do I come across as the type of person who cares about things like [being stripped of the title]? […] This, this attitude, right here is making me a very wealthy man. This desperation [from fans] is incredibly lucrative, so thank you. Keep it coming.”
With the UFC having announced main events for its pay-per-views in June, July and August, as well as a Mexican-centric event in September, Jones vs Aspinall is unlikely to happen before October. UFC president Dana White did vow this month that he would soon announce the bout, but fans continue to await such an announcement.
