UFC Heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones has doubled down on his claims of retiring after facing Stipe Miocic
This past weekend at Riyadh Season Noche UFC the long-awaited return of UFC royalty Jon Jones was announced. Jones is booked to fight arguably the Heavyweight G.O.A.T Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 in a contest long in the making.
Jon Jones is widely regarded as the pound-for-pound #1 in the UFC. His domination over the Light-Heavyweight division and effortless move up in weight to beat Ciryl Gane to claim the Heavyweight title speak to his legacy.
For many fans, the final test of Jones’ greatness is Stipe Miocic. For all his inactivity Miocic is often spoken of as the best UFC Heavyweight of all time.
However, if Jon is to emerge victorious from their UFC 309 clash, he may just steal that title.
The Heavyweight Hold-up
Jones and Miocic were initially supposed to fight at UFC 295 in November 2023 but Jones withdrew due to injury. Stipe refused to face anyone but Jon, so in stepped Sergei Pavlovich and Tom Aspinall for the interim Heavyweight belt.
Stepping up on short notice the two heavyweights saved the day. For Aspinall it was high risk high reward and reward is exactly what he received.
Aspinall knocked out Pavlovich in the first round to be crowned the Interim Heavyweight champion. Since then, Aspinall went on to defend his Interim strap against Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 in Manchester.
With an interim defence under his belt, Tom Aspinall was hoping to get his hands on Jon Jones. With Jones’ reputation as the greatest Mixed Martial Artist of all time, Tom had been desperately calling for a fight with Jones.
Despite Aspinall’s efforts the UFC stuck with the original plan and rebooked Jones and Miocic. Excited by the news of UFC 309 Aspinall put his name in the hat as a short-notice replacement for the bout if needed.
But with Jon Jones’ latest interview, it seems a short-notice replacement may be Aspinall’s only chance at a fight with Jon Jones.
Jon Jones Says UFC 309 Will Be “The Last Time”
At UFC 306 – Noche UFC Jon Jones confirmed that his upcoming fight with Miocic will “likely” be his last. In his latest media appearance with Clocked N’ Loaded he confirmed retirement is on the horizon:
“It’s going to be the last time. More than likely.”
At 37 years old with numerous accolades to his name, it is hard to blame Jon Jones for retiring. British Heavyweight star Aspinall has torn his way to the top and will be devastated if not granted a shot against Jones.
Whether Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall do face off or not, there is no denying the brilliance of Jones’ career. But walking away without facing Aspinall will leave a big “what if?” on the minds of fans and Tom himself.
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