Dana White Wants Jones–Aspinall Heavyweight Fight
Dana White said after UFC 304 that he wanted Jon Jones and interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall to meet, but the matchup never materialized. Aspinall had just knocked out Curtis Blaydes in 60 seconds to defend the interim belt; Jones was still expected to face Stipe Miocic. The long-awaited unification fight remained an aspiration, not a booking.
Why fans expected a unification fight
Jones won the vacant heavyweight championship by submitting Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 in March 2023. A planned defense against Miocic was postponed after Jones suffered a pectoral injury. Aspinall then won the interim title with a first-round knockout of Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295 and defended it against Blaydes at UFC 304 in July 2024.
After the Blaydes win, Aspinall called for a unification fight. White publicly said he wanted to see Aspinall face Jones, but the UFC continued to move forward with Jones vs. Miocic. That left Aspinall with the interim belt and no confirmed date against the undisputed champion.
The fight that did not happen
Jones and Miocic finally met at UFC 309 in November 2024. Jones won by third-round TKO and announced his retirement in 2025 before a fight with Aspinall was made. The UFC then elevated Aspinall to undisputed heavyweight champion. Their matchup, once described as a potential blockbuster, never reached the Octagon.
The dispute was about timing as much as sporting merit. Aspinall argued his activity and interim-title defenses warranted a chance at the undisputed champion; Jones and the UFC prioritized Miocic, whose bout had been delayed by injury. The eventual outcome settled the belt question without the head-to-head fight many fans wanted.
Sources: UFC on Aspinall’s UFC 304 win and call for unification; UFC on Jones’ 2025 retirement and Aspinall’s elevation; UFC record of Aspinall’s title bouts.
Sources
Tags: MMA
