Jon Jones has no choice in his next fight, according to Dana White. Should he get past Stipe Miocic on Saturday night, Jones’ adamance to fight Alex Pereira falls upon deaf ears at the UFC. Instead, he heads for a showdown against the interim titleholder in Tom Aspinall.
Jon Jones’ Plan to Fight Pereira Shut Down
Jon Jones originally did everything he could to avoid fighting Aspinall, even going as far as calling him an “a**hole”. White, however, has other plans for the UFC’s heavyweight division.
“He’s not fighting Pereira,” White said to Jim Rome. “[Pereira] was a middleweight that moved up to light heavyweight. He’s also a kickboxer who has done very, very well in MMA. His wrestling isn’t even near the level of Jon Jones and Jon Jones is way bigger than him.”
“If Jon Jones wants to fight again after Saturday night, he will fight Tom Aspinall.”
Aspinall is already in New York as the backup fighter for Saturday’s bout at UFC 309. Almost a year ago, Aspinall stepped in after Jones tore his pectoral muscle and won the interim title against Sergei Pavlovich. Aspinall knocked out Curtis Blaydes in his last fight in July to become the third fighter to defend an interim title.
Previously, both Renan Barao and Valentina Schevchenko defended their titles three times before being promoted to unified champion. Aspinall aims to avoid that list at all costs. He even referred to the fight this weekend as the “most disputed title” in the UFC, and White agrees. Even though Jones is adamant that he wants to fight Pereira, the only matchup White wants to make is the Aspinall fight.
“Jon’s weird in how he deals with this type of stuff,” White said. “Like he’ll show up for a fight like this, he’ll be prepared mentally, physically, and everything else and then when the fight’s over, he sort of goes and disappears and he wants to challenge himself again and Tom Aspinall is there. He’s doing the whole ‘he doesn’t deserve it’ … but Jon when was 23 years old and he became the youngest champion ever, somebody gave him the opportunity for greatness. I think Jon will eventually come back and face Tom Aspinall.”
“But if he decides Saturday night that’s it, it’s over, it’s his right to make that decision. What this guy has accomplished, nobody else has even come close to accomplishing and he’s the greatest of all time. So we’ll see.”
All Roads Lead to Aspinall
White remained insistent this week that Jones would fight Aspinall after speculation arose on social media that he planned on making the Englishman wait yet again. Some even suggested Jones planned to vacate the heavyweight title. White promised, however, that Jones was anything but ducking a potential fight.
“For anybody to say he’s ducking anybody, Jon Jones is like 37, 38 years old, he’s fought everybody,” White said. “He’s fought all the best in the world, in their prime, been doing it since he was 23 years old. He doesn’t duck. And he’s undefeated, he’s never lost a fight, which is unbelievable in like 16 years.”
White does expect Jones to take some time off and slow play the top of the heavyweight division. A retirement announcement remains on the table for Jones, keeping in spirit with mixed martial arts.
“That is classic Jon Jones right there. Classic Jon Jones,” White said. “Jon will do what he does on Saturday, if he wins, he’ll disappear for a while and then that competitive spirit will start bubbling up again and then money will talk. If he doesn’t decide to retire, he absolutely, positively fights Aspinall.“That is classic Jon Jones right there. Classic Jon Jones,” White said.
“Jon will do what he does on Saturday, if he wins, he’ll disappear for a while and then that competitive spirit will start bubbling up again and then money will talk. If he doesn’t decide to retire, he absolutely, positively fights Aspinall.”
For what it’s worth, the title picture cleared up significantly with this announcement. The winner of this bout more than likely fights Aspinall, and it is sure to be a fantastic fight. For now, though, all eyes turn towards Madison Square Garden and UFC 309.
Featured Image Credits to Embed from Getty Images
