If Jon Jones wants to fight again after Saturday’s scrap with Stipe Miocic, there’s only one road open.
UFC 309 will see ‘Bones’ put his undisputed heavyweight title on the line for the first time when he meets former two-time titleholder and the division’s consensus GOAT, Stipe Miocic. Meanwhile, interim champion Tom Aspinall will be on hand to act as a backup for the evening’s main event and hopefully find out who he’ll be fighting next.
Unfortunately for the Brit, Jones and Miocic have been fairly dismissive of a potential fight with Aspinall. Especially Jones who said in no uncertain terms that he would not fight Aspinall and is far more interested in a BMF fight with reigning light heavyweight king Alex Pereira.
Dana White says that the winner of Jon Jones vs Stipe Miocic should fight Tom Aspinall and the crowd ERUPTS
Jon Jones: “knock it off.” 😭😭#UFC #MMA #UFC309pic.twitter.com/Ruw9lj19DJ
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) November 14, 2024
Dana White Shoots Down Jon Jones’ Dream of Fighting ‘Poatan’
Jones’ status as one of, if not the greatest fighter of all time has given him a lot of pull in deciding who he fights and when, but according to Dana White, the buck stops here.
Appearing on The Jim Rome Show ahead of the promotion’s annual pit stop in Madison Square Garden, the UFC CEO made it clear that if ‘Bones’ wants to fight again in 2025, it will be against Tom Aspinall and only Tom Aspinall.
“Jon will do what he does on Saturday,” White said. “If he wins, he’ll disappear for a while and the competitive spirit will start bubbling up again, and then money will talk. If he doesn’t decide to retire, he absolutely, positively fights Aspinall. He’s not fighting Pereira.
“[Pereira] was a middleweight who moved up to light heavyweight. He’s also a kickboxer who has done very, very well in MMA. His wrestling isn’t even near the level of Jon Jones, and Jon Jones is way bigger than him. If Jon Jones wants to fight again after Saturday night, he will fight Tom Aspinall.”
Jon Jones weighed in at 248lbs for his fight with Ciryl Gane at #UFC285 ⚖️
Today @JonnyBones hit the scales at 237.6 lbs for his fight with Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 💪#UFC309 | Nov 16 | LIVE on TNT Sports Box Office ➡️ https://t.co/uXQAMHNTBd pic.twitter.com/wC6ruUpBWq
— UFC on TNT Sports (@ufcontnt) November 15, 2024
White has remained adamant that Jones would fight beyond UFC 309, suggesting the two-division titleholder’s retirement talks are nothing more than a negotiation tactic. He also defended Jones against accusations that he’s intentionally ducking a fight with Aspinall.
“For anybody to say that he is ducking anybody, Jon Jones is like 37, 38 years old,” White continued. “He has fought everybody. He has fought the best in the world in their prime and been doing it since he was 23 years old. He doesn’t duck anybody,” White said.
Watch the full clip below:
