Jon Jones seems fed up with the relentless criticism he’s been getting from the MMA world over the Tom Aspinall situation. While the British interim champ has been chasing this clash for years, he’s still left in the dark. Recently, UFC CEO Dana White promised to clear the air “within weeks,” but before that could happen, ‘Bones’ broke his silence, and let’s just say, it wasn’t the response fans were hoping for.

So, what happened? Well, the heavyweight champion recently sat down with Kyle Forgeard of the Full Send podcast for an exclusive interview, and when he was asked about his potential fight with Tom Aspinall, Jones appeared to be calm as he praised the Englishman for his illustrious career, “I think he’s awesome, man. I think he’s awesome. I think he should go on and have a wonderful career.”

When Forgeard dug a bit deeper and asked whether Jones thinks Aspinall needs him to have a better career, Jones gave an answer that might have just caught the entire MMA community off guard. Responding to Forgeard, ‘Bones’ in a cryptic manner emphasized that he was not in the mood to fight with the Briton, at least for now, “No, I don’t think he needs me. I think when you want something bad enough, and if you get it, it could be the worst thing that could ever happen to you.”

Did Jon Jones just subtly decline to fight Tom Aspinall? His words certainly suggest that he’s not in the mood to face Aspinall, but there’s another piece to this puzzle: the recent comments made by UFC CEO Dana White just a few days ago. While having a conversation with Jim Rome, the UFC CEO emphasized that, “I don’t know, we’ll see how this thing plays out over the next couple of weeks.” 

He further added, “If we can’t get this fight done, we’ll move on quickly. I said a couple of weeks ago. We’ll have answers in the next couple of weeks.” It’s clear that now even the UFC CEO is frustrated about the constant delay by the heavyweight champion in accepting the fight. It would not be wrong to state that the entire heavyweight division’s progress has been paused due to Jon Jones. However, is Jones serious about the threats that are coming his way? Well, certainly not.

Jon Jones sends warning shots to Tom Aspinall

“I don’t want to say that I’m retired because fighting’s in my blood. Right now, I could really care less about fighting. I’ve been doing it my whole life at a very high level, and when the itch comes back—and if it comes back—then I’ll do it with my whole heart, do it to the best of my abilities,” said Jon Jones at the Full Send podcast.

With the heavyweight belt wrapped around his waist, Jon Jones understands the leverage he holds over the promotion. Let’s put it this way: if it were any other fighter, the UFC would have already stripped them of the title. But Jon Jones is different. Why? Because of the immense star power he carries in the sport.

Arguably one of the biggest stars MMA has ever seen, Jones is a generational figure who brings in business for the sport. Dana White knows that if he strips Jones of the title, there’s a real chance he could retire, turning the dream of hosting the biggest fight in UFC history into just that: a dream. Jon Jones further doubled down on his comments about not wanting to fight Aspinall, “But right now, I look around and realize what’s true, what’s real.”

He further added, “I see the way people look at me and the way I make people feel, and it’s an extraordinary thing. It’s a true blessing. Now my job is to serve that, give that to my fans, be reachable, touchable. Let them know what I have inside. That’s who I am right now. I’ve punched and kicked enough people.”

With Dana White taking his time to announce the fight, Jon Jones might have just poured cold water on those plans. But are these just mental tactics to sell the fight even more? Or is this a blatant refusal from the heavyweight champion to fight Aspinall? The answer remains with Jon Jones, but we should get our answers within the next few weeks.