Tom Aspinall recently expressed how frustrating it has been to be sitting on the sidelines with no guarantee of the Jon Jones fight happening anytime soon. Having last month in July 2024 when he defended his interim heavyweight title at UFC 304, the Englishman claims that he no longer cares who it is, but he just wants to fight and become the undisputed heavyweight champion.

As Dana White keeps getting asked regularly about the impending heavyweight matchup, which he believes has the potential to set records and be the biggest fight in UFC history, the 55-year-old suggests that fans should “relax.” But Tom Aspinall is not in a relaxed mental state. He’s eager to get his hands on the only thing that he’s worked hard for so long, as fans call for Jon Jones to be stripped of his title. “I’ve been inactive for nearly a year, and I’m just being told to wait… I just want to be the undisputed champion,” Tom Aspinall told Demetrious Johnson on the latter’s podcast.

Well, Jon Jones has been away from the United States as he’s set to appear on the Russian version of TUF, ‘ALF Global Reality’. However, the two-weight UFC champion seems to be quite aware of the things that are being said about him regarding the fight against the interim champion. As such, ‘Bones’ decided to chime in on the issue Tom Aspinall’s been facing, and guess what? The undisputed champion appeared to have a lot of fun with the interim champ’s current situation and responded to him with the same thing that Conor McGregor told Michael Chandler in the first episode of TUF 31.

“Shut your mouth and do as you’re told,” Jon Jones wrote in an Instagram post, insinuating that he’s the A-side between him and Tom Aspinall. This is not the first time he’s clapped back at Aspinall, and as we wait to see if that fight happens or not, this probably won’t be the last time he’ll take a dig at the Englishman, who claims it’s not personal but he’s sure he can beat Jones in a fight.

While Dana White tries to get this fight done, Jon Jones gave a positive hint recently about making his way back to the UFC. As one fan wondered if he’s retired, ‘Bones’ gave his honest take on his UFC future, but he didn’t really give a definitive answer. Here’s what the undisputed heavyweight champion had to say.

Jon Jones addresses retirement rumors

Two fights in the last two years have been enough for fans to start speculating about Jon Jones potentially hanging up his gloves and riding off into the sunset. When the fan tried to get some clarity on this topic from the champion himself, ‘Bones’ claimed that he wouldn’t use the word retire even though he’s on a hiatus. While pointing out that he’s been on multiple extended breaks in the past, Jones claims he’s capable enough to show up anytime for a fight and show out.

“I don’t know if I wanna call it retired, I feel like I’ll always have an ability to pop out and show em,” Jones wrote on X. He also added that in his time away from the Octagon, he’s evolving in a variety of ways, but he wasn’t very specific about that part. “I’ve had many breaks throughout my career, my identity outside of fighting is well intact. I’m genuinely enjoying life, I’m growing in different ways.”

So, is Tom Apsinall finally going to get his chance to fight the consensus GOAT? After all, Jon Jones’s Russian TUF gig seems to be in jeopardy after Nate Diaz reportedly returned to the US. We’ll have to wait and see how things play out because we still don’t have any official word or even an update on this front. In the meantime, let us know what you think about Jones’s response to Aspinall’s frustrating situation in the comments down below.