Dana White has stuck to his guns regarding the expected upcoming heavyweight title fight between the champion Jon Jones and the returning Stipe Miocic.
This match-up has been controversial ever since Jones was forced to push the fight back a year due to an injury - which then led to Tom Aspinall winning the interim title and defending it this past month.
White has said that he expects the winner of that fight to then unify the division against Aspinall, stating after UFC 304 that it would be a great shame if both Jones and Miocic retire after their eventual clash, as many expect them both to do.
He recently cleared the air once again on what he believes are the next steps for the heavyweight division now that Aspinall has defended his title whilst we await Jones' return.
Dana White Says That Jon Jones & Stipe Miocic Deserve To Fight One Another But Owe It To Aspinall Afterwards
In a recent interview with Kevin Iole, White addressed the idea that some of the fans believe that Aspinall deserves to fight Jones next rather than Miocic.
He believes that this decision comes down to the two men that were originally set to meet at UFC 295 last November because of what they've done in the sport.
However, he also clarifies that in his opinion, the winner of the heavyweight title fight should then have to pay it forward by giving Aspinall the chance to fight for the undisputed title before riding off into the sunset.
He [Aspinall] looks like the future of the heavyweight division right but at the same time, he's working his way up. He's climbing up the ladder and everybody's like, 'He deserves this and he deserves that.' He doesn't deserve anything. He looks great and he looks like he's going to be the guy. You've got Stipe and Jon who have paid their dues, they've been here forever, they fought everybody, they fought all the fights that you could possibly fight. These guys deserve to fight each other.
Whoever wins that fight, I think that they owe it to Aspinall to fight him and give him the opportunity that they've been given. When you look at Jon Jones and Stipe, they beat all the guys right? And you're either gonna be the guy that's gonna cement your legacy forever or you're gonna hand the torch off the way that it was handed off to you guys by all the guys that came before you.
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