Written by Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
A petition to strip Jon Jones of the UFC heavyweight title already got his endorsement when he joked that he hoped the online effort ended up with 200,000 signatures, but in reality, he probably doesn’t care much about those calls to take away his championship.
That’s according to veteran UFC play-by-play man Jon Anik, who was asked about the petition that’s been gaining interest as delays in booking Jones against interim champion Tom Aspinall have dragged on for months. Aspinall went so far as to congratulate Jones on his retirement and crown himself the undisputed heavyweight champion, even though neither are actually true.
Jones is still holding onto the belt, and he’s consistently teased his return to action, which is why Anik doesn’t buy that the fighter many consider as the greatest of all time is sweating some online petition.
“So I think a fight between Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall is bigger if they are both champions,” Anik said during the UFC 316 pre-fight press conference. “I’m hopeful they’re going to fight in December in Las Vegas. I have no inside information.
“But I don’t know that Jon Jones really gives a rip if they strip him of the heavyweight championship. He’s still going to fight Tom, hopefully, and it’s still going to be a bag.”
It’s hard to argue with Anik’s logic, especially considering the way Jones has continuously laughed off calls for him to get stripped of the UFC heavyweight title.
Add to that, Jones still holding onto the belt and then facing an interim champion like Aspinall, gives the UFC an easy promotional tool to build what could end up as the biggest fight in heavyweight history.
As far as timing goes, Jones teased just recently that he’s been sworn to secrecy regarding the UFC’s plans for him and Aspinall, while the British-born heavyweight has continuously said he hopes to hear an announcement soon regarding his future.
With the UFC already starting to plan for events into August and September, it seems unlikely that Jones and Aspinall will meet before the final few months of the year, but there are still plenty of options available.
As Anik mentioned, the UFC is expected to close out the year with a big event in Las Vegas, and then November typically serves as the home for a pay-per-view card at Madison Square Garden in New York — the same location where Jones vanquished former UFC heavyweight king Stipe Miocic this past year.
There’s no telling when the fight might actually get scheduled, but UFC CEO Dana White has consistently promised he plans to deliver Jones vs. Aspinall sometime in 2025.