Aspinall Questions Whether Jones Would Fight Him
In December 2024, after the reigning heavyweight champion defended the heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic in November 2024, interim champion Tom Aspinall said he did not trust Jones to agree to face him next. Aspinall was seeking a title unification bout, while Jones had not committed publicly to that matchup. ESPN’s December 2024 report captured the uncertainty around the heavyweight title picture at the time.
Why Aspinall doubted a title fight
Aspinall had won the interim belt by stopping Sergei Pavlovich at the interim-title fight and defended it with a first-round knockout of Curtis Blaydes at the title defense. Jones, meanwhile, returned from injury to beat Miocic in November 2024. The promotion said the winner could face Aspinall, but Jones had also discussed other opponents, including light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira. Aspinall’s concern was that the division could remain stalled while he waited for a unification fight.
That skepticism described the situation in late 2024; it did not establish that a Jones-Aspinall fight had been booked or that Jones had formally refused one. Aspinall’s public comments focused on the lack of a firm commitment. The promotion’s event history records Aspinall’s interim-title win, and its later announcement documented the change that ended the proposed matchup.
The title picture changed
In June 2025, promotion chief Dana White announced that Jones had retired and that Aspinall was elevated to undisputed heavyweight champion. The long-discussed unification bout never took place. Aspinall’s first defense as undisputed champion came against Ciryl Gane in October 2025, but the bout ended as a no contest at 4:35 of the first round after an accidental eye poke left Aspinall unable to continue, according to the official results.
Where the heavyweight story stands
Jones later campaigned for a place on the promotion’s 2026 White House card but was not selected. In an October 2026 update, he said he was more likely done fighting while leaving the door open to a return, as MMA Fighting reported. Aspinall relinquished the undisputed heavyweight title in September 2026 because of ongoing complications from the double eye injury; his official athlete profile records the title as vacated. The UFC later identified Gane as undisputed champion, with a first defense against Josh Hokit scheduled for UFC 334 on November 14, 2026, at Madison Square Garden, as stated in the official event announcement.
Sources
- ESPN: Aspinall’s comments about Jones and the next fight (December 2024)
- Official source: Jones’s retirement and Aspinall’s elevation to undisputed champion (June 2025)
- Official event results (October 2025)
- MMA Fighting: Jones’s latest comments on a possible return (October 2026)
- UFC athlete profile: Aspinall’s title status (September 2026)
- UFC: Gane’s promotion to undisputed champion and first defense
- UFC: UFC 334 title fight announcement for November 14, 2026
