UFC enthusiasts are strongly urging Dana White to strip Jon Jones of his heavyweight championship following Tom Aspinall`s achievement of an unwelcome milestone.
A highly anticipated unification bout between the undisputed and interim titleholders has not yet materialized, despite discussions having been ongoing since as far back as NOVEMBER of last year.
Aspinall, age 32, secured the interim UFC title in November 2023 with a stunning 69-second knockout victory over Sergei Pavlovich, which occurred after Jones suffered a pectoral injury.
The fighter hailing from Wigan surpassed Renan Barao`s 534-day stint as interim men`s bantamweight champion this week, thereby becoming the longest-serving interim titleholder in UFC history.
Consequently, a significant number of MMA enthusiasts have called upon UFC head Dana White to divest Jones of his belt and elevate Aspinall to the status of undisputed heavyweight champion.
One fan commented on X: “Strip Jon Jones.”
Another expressed: “Take the belt away from Jon Jones! That guy is not the heavyweight champ.”
A further remark stated: “Jon Jones has become a detriment to the sport in his later years.”
One observer noted: “This is embarrassing, get yourself together, Dana White.”
Another fan chimed in: “It`s frustrating how Tom Aspinall was denied an undisputed heavyweight title reign.”
These calls for White to strip Jones come just days after the prominent promoter insisted that the proposed fight between the former pound-for-pound king and Aspinall is still planned.
Addressing rumors of an agreed-upon fight (which were later retracted), White stated last weekend: “Everything you hear is speculation until we announce it.”
He added: “I’ve mentioned it numerous times, that’s the bout we aim to put together this year, [I`m] still highly confident [it will happen].”
“I’ve maintained since day one that this would be the most significant heavyweight contest in the history of the organization and the sport.
“This will be a major event.”
Jones, who previously held the light-heavyweight title for a considerable time, has not competed since defeating Stipe Miocic with a remarkable spinning back kick at UFC 309 last November. Aspinall, on the other hand, has been inactive since quickly finishing Curtis Blaydes in only 60 seconds during their UFC 304 rematch last July.
