Legendary two-division UFC champion Jon Jones recently took to social media to criticize Tom Aspinall, though one of his claims appeared potentially inaccurate. Despite significant fan demand, Jones seems reluctant to commit to returning to the octagon to fight Aspinall.
Aspinall holds the interim heavyweight title. Interestingly, he has made as many defenses of his belt as Jones (zero), despite winning it months after Jones claimed the undisputed championship.
Jones recently returned to the United States after a lengthy trip abroad to film a reality television show. Upon his arrival, he quickly engaged with fans on social media platforms and began making a series of critical remarks directed at Aspinall.
Jon Jones makes potentially inaccurate claim about Tom Aspinall
Once he started interacting with fans on X (formerly Twitter), Jon Jones was immediately questioned about his ongoing rivalry with Tom Aspinall. Jones did not shy away from the topic, responding to several messages before ending his online activity for the night.
Following a post where he shared statistics about American versus international UFC champions, Jones mocked a fan who suggested Aspinall should be considered the truly undisputed fighter at 265 pounds. In response, Jones wrote, “That’s awesome, you guys could use one.”
However, a major point of contention arose from a remark Jones made in reply to a tweet that was quickly deleted. Jones wrote, “Unfortunately, my boy is not as special as his fan base thinks he is right now. I’ve seen Tom get tapped out twice now by two different people. Time will show. Here today gone tomorrow.”
This statement suggests either the existence of private footage unknown to the public or an error on Jones’ part. Aspinall has indeed suffered one defeat by submission, which occurred against Stuart Austin in BAMMA nearly a decade ago. However, his only other career losses were via disqualification and a rare injury TKO, not a second submission.
Jon Jones comments on his plans regarding a Tom Aspinall fight
Jones has consistently seemed hesitant to agree to a fight with Aspinall and frequently states he is uncertain about his future in the sport. However, he recently mentioned during a seminar that he has communicated his plans to the UFC.
He indicated that due to legal considerations, any formal announcement about a potential fight would come from UFC President Dana White, rather than himself or Aspinall. When asked by a fan about the status of the fight, Jones replied, “The UFC, I, and Tom, we’ve all got a lot of stuff happening behind the scenes.”
Jones added, “They’re one of the biggest organizations in sports. Right now, Tom and I have agreed to wait for the UFC to make their announcements. So, legally I can’t really talk about it.”
Gareth Pendleton