Bisping Compares His Frustration With Jones and Jake Paul
On November 22, 2024, reports covered Michael Bisping’s criticism of Jon Jones and Jake Paul. Bisping drew a comparison between Jones’ reluctance to face interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall and Paul’s choice to box 58-year-old Mike Tyson. It was Bisping’s argument about opponent selection, not a claim that the fighters or their careers were equivalent.
What Bisping was criticizing
At the time, Jones was the UFC heavyweight champion and had not agreed to unify the title with Aspinall. Jones instead discussed other options, including a possible meeting with light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira. Bisping argued that a champion should meet the division’s leading challenger. That was commentary on the choices Jones appeared to be making in late 2024, rather than proof of his motives.
Bisping’s Jake Paul example centered on the age and experience gap in the planned Tyson bout. Paul, then 27, faced Tyson, 58, in an eight-round professional boxing match on November 15, 2024. Paul won by unanimous decision. The result settled the contest, though it did not resolve Bisping’s broader criticism of how crossover boxing matchups are made.
What happened after the comparison
Jones defended his heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 on November 16, 2024. In June 2025, UFC CEO Dana White announced that Jones had retired and that the belt had been vacated; Tom Aspinall was elevated to undisputed champion. Jones’ plans have since shifted: on April 10, 2026, he said his gloves were hung up, then on October 10 said he probably would not fight again while leaving the door open. His current position is therefore uncertain.
Paul’s boxing record also moved beyond the Tyson bout. He lost to former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua by sixth-round knockout on December 19, 2025. That later step up complicates any simple claim that Paul only chose older or less experienced opponents, while leaving Bisping’s 2024 criticism as a snapshot of the matchups he was discussing at the time.
A comparison, not a verdict
Jones and Paul compete in different sports and occupy very different places in their respective careers. Bisping’s point was narrower: he questioned whether each man was pursuing the most demanding available matchup. Subsequent results add context, but they do not turn that opinion into an objective measure of either fighter’s competitive intent.
Jones has not fought since UFC 309, and Paul’s bout with Joshua ended in a stoppage loss. The original video remains above for Bisping’s comments; the updated account separates what he said in 2024 from what followed.
