Tom Aspinall makes vow over Jon Jones retirement jibe: ‘People think I’m joking, but it’s the truth’

Tom Aspinall has doubled down on his claim that Jon Jones has retired, telling The Independent: “People think I’m joking, but it’s the truth.”

Aspinall has held the interim UFC heavyweight title since knocking out Sergei Pavlovich in November 2023, when an injured Jones was unable to defend the regular belt against Stipe Miocic. Jones finally returned 12 months later and stopped Miocic, but only after Aspinall made the rare move of defending the interim title, which he retained with a knockout of Curtis Blaydes last July.

As a result of the Briton’s victory and Jones’s success against fellow American Miocic, the pair should have been paired in a title unification bout by now. However, 38-year-old Jones has refused to commit to such a contest, never publicly saying he will fight Aspinall, 32.

That led the Wigan heavyweight to tell Chael Sonnen and Daniel Cormier, two of Jones’s former opponents, this week: “Jon’s retired [...] The guy’s living his best life, he’s had a fantastic career, we all know. We know Jon’s a religious man, so I want to say: God bless him moving forward with what he does in his life and career.

“We move on. I’m the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, I’m ready to take on all comers, get this division moving again. Us guys have been waiting around too long. The contenders are getting sick of it, everybody’s getting sick of it, even the fans are getting sick of this stuff. So, Jon’s retired, and it’s time that we move on.”

And speaking to The Independent on Wednesday (4 June), at the launch of Aspinall’s long-term partnership with sportswear brand Champion, he added: “I want to keep my job, so I don’t want to say too much, but I said what I’ve said in other interviews and stuff... People think I’m joking, but it’s the truth.

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“I’m not the kind of guy to pull any media stunts or anything like that, like... What I’m saying is the truth.”

Aspinall added that his next fight “will be announced pretty soon as far as I’m aware”, after he told Sonnen and Cormier: “I’ve got a date and a location. I’ve got a date and a location.”

He told The Independent: “I’ve been on the sideline for almost a year and all things aside – like money, fame, titles, all the rest of it – I’m someone who absolutely loves what I do and loves fighting. So, for me to have the opportunity to fight again after a year of being healthy and not fighting, that just makes me happy. So, I feel good about it.”

Fans may interpret those updates as Aspinall having agreed a return date with the UFC but without Jones being confirmed as his opponent. With the UFC having announced main events for its pay-per-views in June, July and August, Aspinall seems unlikely to fight before September, which was set to host a Mexican-centric PPV that is now a standard Fight Night.

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While some fans view Jones, a former two-time light-heavyweight champion, as the greatest mixed martial artist of all time, his career has been marred by numerous failed drug tests and run-ins with the law. Still, Jones is effectively unbeaten, with his sole loss having come via DQ in 2009.

Meanwhile, Aspinall is 15-3 in MMA and 8-1 in the UFC. In the promotion, his only defeat occurred due to injury, while all of his career finishes have come via stoppage. In fact, Aspinall holds the UFC record for the shortest fight time of an athlete with five or more bouts; all of his wins in the promotion have come in the first two rounds – seven in round one, two in the first minute.

Aspinall’s decision to defend the interim belt was a rarity in the UFC, as the Wigan heavyweight aimed to stay active during Jones’s absence. In that fight, Aspinall stopped Curtis Blaydes in 60 seconds, avenging his injury-induced loss to the American in 2022.

Tom Aspinall’s new apparel line HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION is available now at championstore.com.