Jon Jones’ fight against Stipe Miočić is far from happening now. That pectoral muscle injury actually killed all the hype Dana White and co. had built for a once-in-a-lifetime fight back in 2023. Well, the fight still took place a year later, at UFC 309 in November 2024. But by that point, the MMA world was far more interested in seeing the greatest of all time defend his belt against Tom Aspinall, instead of a ‘washed‘ Miocic.

And despite the hype, that showdown never came to life. Fans weren’t thrilled, and many felt Aspinall deserved the shot. Dana White, however, did offer a defense at the DWCS post-fight press conference last year. When asked about not giving the title shot to Aspinall over Miocic, he fired back: “If I did that, you guys would be like, ‘Oh, you f—g disrespected the greatest heavyweight ever!'”

Considering the demand for putting Aspinall against Jones, after the 37-year-old finally defeated Miocic at UFC 309, White went on to admit that Jones-Aspinall would “probably be the biggest fight we’ve ever done.” But here is the real problem: Jones does not want to risk his legacy by fighting against a ‘nobody’ despite Aspinall calling him out in front of a roaring home crowd in Manchester.

It has been over six months now since Jones‘s spinning back kick ended Miocic’s dream return to dust, but the sentiment against White for booking Miocic vs Jones is not gone yet. Most recently, Demetrious Johnson bluntly echoed that sentiment.

In his latest video, The Mightycast had none other than Tom Aspinall as his guest. When talking about the Jones-Miocic fight, Demetrious said, “In my personal opinion, there was no point. No disrespect to Stipe, he’s an amazing athlete, had an amazing career, but I thought there was no point for Stipe vs. Jon Jones. When you have a heavyweight champion and an interim champion who’s defended the belt, who are both healthy, that’s a fight that’s supposed to happen!”

Well, that’s an opinion from ‘Mighty Mouse’ that would likely get the majority vote. Tom Aspinall vs. Jon Jones could have been a much bigger fight last year compared to the Stipe Miočić bout, which ended up looking a little too easy for the reigning champ. Now that fight’s in the books, and here we are—still waiting patiently for the real super-fight to take place this year.

However, the Manchester native seems to be running out of patience. After waiting over a year for his shot at the undisputed title, the dream of fighting Jon Jones has taken a mental toll. Aspinall recently admitted that not getting the fight has left him frustrated. Let’s take a look at what the interim heavyweight champ has to say.

Tom Aspinall reveals that staying motivated for the Jon Jones fight is tough

The British juggernaut has been waiting what feels like an eternity for the shot of a lifetime at heavyweight gold. But it looks like the wait isn’t over just yet, as he still hasn’t had the chance to square off against the greatest of all time. It’s about to hit the one-year mark since he secured his golden ticket to unify the belt. Aspinall has already shown signs of frustration with the whole situation and even hinted at moving on. Now, he’s revealed that staying motivated for this fight has been tougher than ever.

Aspinall, in his interview with Demetrious Johnson, said: “I constantly had little goals that I could have worked towards, whereas now it’s like— just be ready, and we’ll let you know. It’s kind of difficult mentally. The fight against Jon Jones is another thing; this thing is the tricky bit where I really have to stay switched on, stay motivated, and I’m trying my best. It’s tough sometimes.”

That kind of wait, holding out for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, has got to be mentally draining. Staying focused and motivated for that long, especially with so much uncertainty, is no easy task. UFC president Dana White did give fans a bit of hope during a roadside interview with MMA Pros Pick, hinting that the fight could finally happen in 2025. But let’s be honest, until there’s an official announcement, nothing’s guaranteed.

So, what do you think? Did Tom Aspinall vs. Jon Jones have a better chance of happening last year than it does now? Drop your thoughts in the comments below!