All this time waiting, and the Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall fight will not come to pass.
At the UFC Baku Post-Fight Press Conference, UFC CEO and President Dana White officially declared the status of Jon Jones as “retired,” officially ending Jones’ two-year run as the UFC heavyweight champion.
As a result, the UFC head honcho has announced, Tom Aspinall, who was the interim UFC heavyweight champion, will now be elevated to undisputed champion.
“Jon Jones called us last night and retired,” White said. “Jon Jones is officially retired. Tom Aspinall is the heavyweight champion of the UFC.”
Tom Aspinall Named New Undisputed UFC Heavyweight Champion Following Jon Jones Retirement
Since Aspinall’s interim title win, talks have circulated around a potential undisputed title fight between Jones and Aspinall — with those talks intensifying after Jones’ win over Miocic. Constant debates were had over if Jones would actually take up the fight.
While there had been moments of hope — for instance, White claiming the fight was nearly signed — there had been plenty of moments that showed the fight might not happen. Instances included Aspinall’s “duck” callout earlier in the year at UFC London, as well as Aspinall’s father berating Jones and his team about dragging out negotiations.
Just a couple of days ago, Jones appeared on the Full Send Podcast and stated that he is at a point where he doesn’t care about fighting.
“I am retired,” Jones said. “Right now, I could really care less about fighting. I’ve been doing it all my life at a very high level. When the itch comes back, if it comes back, then I’ll do it with my whole heart, and I’ll do it to the best of my abilities.”
Jones had been heavyweight champion since submitting Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 — which marked his first fight in the UFC after vacating the UFC light heavyweight championship — a division that Jones dominated throughout the 2010s — three years prior.
Jones only made one defense of the championship, defeating former champion Stipe Miocic in the main event of UFC 309 this past November. The two had been scheduled to meet at UFC 295 the previous year, also at Madison Square Garden, before a torn pec put Jones on the shelf.
It was at that UFC 295 card where Aspinall defeated Sergei Pavlovich to become interim heavyweight champion. He defended the interim title in a rare feat at UFC 304, scoring a first-round finish of Curtis Blaydes.
