Tom Aspinall confronted Jon Jones about the matter on Monday, and now the UFC heavyweight champion and all-time great has issued a rebuttal.
In a series of posts on X, Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) made his position clear on Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC), the current interim heavyweight title holder, and responded to comments from Aspinall suggesting Jones is avoiding a fight with him.
“I believe a video has recently resurfaced of me saying the only fight I’m interested in after Stipe is against Francis,” Jones wrote on X on Tuesday. “That video was recorded over a year ago, before I got injured, before the Intercontinental Champions were decided, and I had already stated that I was no longer interested in random opponents.
“Now like magic I am avoiding a fight that was never negotiated or discussed at any important table before. LOL I am sticking to my plan. Jon Jones not jumping for anyone. How many belts do I need? How many times do I have to break my own record?
There has been a lot of controversy over the past year regarding the UFC’s handling of its heavyweight division.
Jones, who won the UFC heavyweight title vacated by Francis Ngannou in March 2023, has yet to defend it and was scheduled to return against Stipe Miocic in November but has been sidelined since suffering an injury, while Aspinall won the UFC interim title against Sergey Pavlovic and defended it against Curtis Blaydes in July.
Jones is not expected to unify the belts with Aspinall when he returns to competition, as the UFC has decided to keep the bout with Miocic scheduled for November.
“There are literally fighters all over the world who, deep down, believe they could beat Jon Jones,” Jones wrote. “There will be no statues of you. Keep winning and making your name bigger. That’s the only way.”
“I’m 37 now and I’ve beaten everyone. My job is to hang in there and make a great movie. 😘 Join Tom Brady, Floyd Mayweather and all the other great retired fighters.”
I think a video recently resurfaced of me saying that the only fight I’m interested in after Stipe is Francis. That video was recorded over a year ago. Before I got injured, before the Intercontinental Champions were decided. I was already…
— BONY (@JonnyBones) August 20, 2024
There are literally fighters all over the world who, deep down, think, “I can beat Jon Jones.” They’re not going to build a statue of you. Go out there and win some more fights and make your name bigger. That’s the only way.
— BONY (@JonnyBones) August 20, 2024
I’m 37 now and I’ve beaten everyone else. My job is to hang in there and make a great movie. 😘 Go with Tom Brady, Floyd Mayweather and all the other great retired athletes.
— BONY (@JonnyBones) August 20, 2024
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