Jones-Aspinall: A timeline of MMA's heavyweight melodrama

The infinitesimal Tom Aspinall was handed the interim heavyweight belt connected Nov. 11, 2023, aft knocking retired Sergei Pavlovich astatine UFC 295 is erstwhile helium earned the close to situation undisputed champion Jon Jones to unify the belts. But since that time, Jones hasn't been each that funny successful obliging.

He tin beryllium forgiven for not entertaining the combat initially due to the fact that helium was recovering from injury. But Jones is the crushed determination was an interim heavyweight title fight; helium had to bow retired of his scheduled rubric defence against Stipe Miocic astatine UFC 295 due to the fact that of a torn pectoral muscle.

Aspinall stepped into the spot Jones vacated connected the UFC 295 paper and finished Pavlovich connected 2 weeks' notice. He past successfully defended his interim belt against Curtis Blaydes successful July 2024. So erstwhile Jones knocked retired Miocic successful his instrumentality from wounded astatine UFC 309 successful November, a unifying bout betwixt Jones and Aspinall became the lone logical adjacent step.

Yet, present we are, astir a twelvemonth since Aspinall's past fight, and inactive a unifying bout hasn't been booked. UFC president Dana White continues to guarantee the MMA assemblage that the combat volition happen, going truthful acold arsenic to publically proclaim astatine the UFC 316 postfight quality league past week that "Jon Jones was offered the woody and accepted the deal."

Jones' societal media seems to archer a antithetic story, though.

Where is the truth? Take a look backmost astatine each the talk, societal media posts, fakeouts and speculation implicit the past twelvemonth and determine for yourself.

play

1:27

Dana White: Jon Jones is not acrophobic to combat Tom Aspinall

Dana White explains to Stephen A. Smith that Jon Jones has ne'er turned down a combat and that Jones has nary aversion to warring Tom Aspinall.

July 27, 2024: Just 60 seconds into his archetypal defence arsenic UFC interim heavyweight champion, Aspinall knocks retired Blaydes with a beardown near manus and a bid of crushed strikes. He wastes nary clip addressing the elephant successful the room.

"I'm the champion finisher successful the UFC, if I commencement to snowball you, you're done," Aspinall tells the Manchester, England, assemblage astatine UFC 304 during his postfight interview. "Who wants to spot Tom Aspinall vs. Jon Jones?"

Nov. 7, 2024: Leading up to the rescheduled Miocic fight, Jones bristles astatine the thought that helium volition look Aspinall if helium gets past Miocic, implying Aspinall isn't his level of competition.

"I consciousness similar Tom Aspinall is -- I don't privation to accidental cipher -- but helium hasn't proven anything, helium hasn't done anything," Jones says successful an interview. "I'm not present to gamble connected idiosyncratic other making a sanction disconnected of me."

Instead, Jones hints that helium could entertain status aft the fight. He besides floats a champion vs. champion match against then-light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira.

"If determination were to beryllium a combat with a feline that's inactive connected our UFC roster that would beryllium not lone financially worthy it but bequest worthy it, it would beryllium Alex Pereira," Jones says. "I've conscionable been present excessively agelong to get each excited astir idiosyncratic who's blistery today. I'm present for legacy. I've been gambling for excessively agelong to conscionable instrumentality random fights."

Nov. 14, 2024: White isn't funny successful Jones playing matchmaker, saying that if Jones chooses to proceed fighting, Aspinall would beryllium his adjacent opponent, not Pereira. "He's not warring Pereira," White says. "[Pereira] was a middleweight that moved up to airy heavyweight. He's besides a kickboxer who has done very, precise good successful MMA. His wrestling isn't adjacent adjacent the level of Jon Jones, and Jon Jones is mode bigger than him."

Nov. 16, 2024: Jones steps backmost into the Octagon for the archetypal clip successful a twelvemonth and a fractional and delivers a Round 3 spinning backmost footwear that sends Miocic to the canvas to clasp the heavyweight belt.

With Aspinall cageside, Jones says helium would combat Aspinall lone if helium were offered a "very, precise precocious number."

"I find him annoying, and I conscionable don't similar him," Jones says of Aspinall, "and astatine the extremity of the day, if I springiness him the accidental to combat me, I privation to beryllium truthful compensated -- I privation to accidental it, I privation that 'f--- you' money, honestly."

Nov. 18, 2024: In an interrogation connected YouTube, Aspinall claims to person begun talks with the UFC for his adjacent combat but provides nary details. In the aforesaid interview, Aspinall says it's his sentiment that Georges St-Pierre is simply a greater combatant than Jones due to the fact that "he's ne'er failed for PEDs." Jones was stripped of his heavyweight rubric aft helium tested affirmative for the anabolic steroid Turinabol successful 2017.

play

0:54

Daniel Cormier: Jon Jones 'out of his mind' saying he'd bushed maine astatine heavyweight

Daniel Cormier refutes Jon Jones assertion that Jones could person beaten him astatine heavyweight.

Nov. 24, 2024: In different YouTube video, Jones says his squad is successful negotiations with the UFC arsenic well, but Jones won't accidental whether Aspinall is the hostile nor volition helium springiness a hint arsenic to a dollar fig helium is asking for. He volition accidental lone that a instrumentality successful 2025 is "more than likely."

Dec. 3, 2024: Now 4 months since his interim defense, Aspinall tells ESPN helium isn't funny successful a agelong layoff betwixt fights. He says his apical precedence is becoming the undisputed heavyweight champion, whether oregon not helium has to bushed Jones to bash it.

"Nothing truly interests maine close present different than being the undisputed heavyweight champion successful the world. And that doesn't person to beryllium against Jon," Aspinall says. "If Jon wants to springiness up the loop and bash different stuff, I americium good with that.

Dec. 14, 2024: At a postfight quality league for a UFC Fight Night from Tampa, Florida, White is asked if helium volition warrant a combat betwixt Jones and Aspinall. "Yeah, I'll accidental 100 percent," helium replies.

Feb. 5, 2025: Jones promises his X followers an announcement is coming.

In 24 hours I'll beryllium making a immense announcement! #Andstill

Feb 6. 2025: The adjacent day, successful the eventual fakeout, Jones posts a video successful which helium announces his adjacent hostile volition beryllium ... "the American healthcare system." The clip is simply a Super Bowl advertisement for a nonprofit targeting healthcare reform.

May 14, 2025: MMA fans statesman to turn acrophobic Jones isn't superior astir warring again, prompting an online petition to "let Dana White know: It is clip to portion Jon Jones of the heavyweight title." To date, it has astir 200,000 signatures.

May 19, 2025: While successful Thailand to manager against Nate Diaz connected a world TV warring amusement called "ALF Global Reality," Jones engages with fans online who impeach him of ducking Aspinall and calling for him to beryllium stripped of his belt. He claims the UFC is alert of his aboriginal plans.

Yall barkin up the incorrect tree, I told the Ufc my plans a agelong clip ago. I person nary hint wherefore they haven't shared them with you guys yet. https://t.co/sB4gPaqlzU

I don't cognize if I wanna telephone it retired, I consciousness similar I'll ever person an quality to popular retired and amusement em. I've had galore breaks passim my career, my individuality extracurricular of warring is good intact. I'm genuinely enjoying life, I'm increasing successful antithetic ways. https://t.co/XuH1diQVr1

May 26, 2025: This clip it's Aspinall's crook to get successful connected the announcement excitement. He posts the connection "Heavyweight news. Coming soon" to his Instagram but is speedy to punctual his followers that the UFC typically announces authoritative matches, not the fighters.

May 28, 2025: Despite his warnings, fans are unhappy with different reddish herring erstwhile Aspinall's announcement is simply a marque concern with the sportswear institution Champion.

June 2, 2025: Aspinall tells Chael Sonnen and Daniel Cormier connected the "Good Guy/Bad Guy" podcast that he's acceptable to determination connected from "retired" Jon Jones.

"Jon Jones is retired," Aspinall says. "I privation to accidental God bless him moving guardant successful what helium does with his beingness and career. We determination on. I'm the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. I'm acceptable to instrumentality connected each comers and get this part moving again."

June 6: Jones spends much clip responding to posts connected X, claiming, among different things, helium isn't training, he'd vacate the loop and helium would entertain a combat with 2024 PFL heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.

And remember, you can't portion a feline similar maine astatine this constituent I springiness the loop up freely. Veni, vidi, vici. 😘

I'm proceeding Francis Ngannou is inactive interested... present we're talking. That's a existent ace fight. A clash of champions, not conscionable hype. He held the UFC belt, I've defended excavation for implicit a decade. Two kings from antithetic roads. Not conscionable 1 fable facing a rima that's blistery right...

June 7, 2025: For the archetypal clip successful respective months, White readdresses the Jones-Aspinall saga, saying astatine the quality league aft UFC 316 it is simply a "fact" that Jones agreed to a combat with Aspinall.

"Yeah, I've been saying it since the beginning, Jon Jones agreed to bash the fight. Jon Jones was offered the woody and accepted the deal," White says. "You guys person heard maine for the past nevertheless long. I said, 'I warrant this combat is going to happen.' Yes, I've been saying Jon is gonna combat Tom."

June 13, 2025: Back from filming successful Thailand, Jones appears astatine a Dirty Boxing Championship lawsuit successful Miami. A newsman asks if Jones is alert of White's assertion that Jones agreed to combat Aspinall, to which helium replies, "Is that what helium said?"