Should Dana White strip Jon Jones of the heavyweight title? A staggering 200,000 fans say yes. A massive petition demanding Jones be stripped has flooded in, reflecting growing frustration among MMA enthusiasts. Yet, Jon Jones remains unfazed, brushing off the fan outcry. As the heavyweight division’s turmoil deepens, Jones has once again shifted focus, launching a new attack on Tom Aspinall and sidestepping the heated debate surrounding his championship status.

On Thursday, Jon Jones took to his X handle to upload a photo showcasing the statistics of the number of UFC champions by nationality. The photo shows Khabib Nurmagomedov representing Russia with four champions, followed by Brazil represented by Jose Aldo with 13 champions, and lastly, America represented by Jon Jones with 64 champions. He captioned the post with a rather challenging statement that read, “Catch up mates, it’s lonely up here.” 

Witnessing Jon Jones’ audacity, a fan reminded him that Aspinall is the true heavyweight champion and that he is not. Responding to the troll, Jones wrote, “That’s awesome, you guys could use one.” Moments later, he made another post on X, stating that he witnessed Tom Aspinall being choked twice, “Unfortunately, my boy is not as special as his fan base thinks he is right now. I’ve seen Tom get tapped out twice now by two different people.”

“Time will tell” — that’s what Jon Jones had to say about the ongoing heavyweight dilemma. But the real question is: why did he make that statement? Has the UFC already booked the Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall fight and is just waiting to announce it? Currently in Thailand, Jones made a statement that rocked the MMA community: “Tom and I agreed to wait for the UFC to make their announcement,” said Jon Jones.

So, does that mean we’re about to witness the fight? Well, Aspinall denied these claims. During his appearance on the Good Guy/Bad Guy podcast, Aspinall stated: “That’s old news. The active heavyweight champion is here to fight them all. Let’s get it on. I’ll tell you something—I’ve got a date and a location.” 

It wouldn’t be wrong to say that Jon Jones‘ legitimacy as a fearsome fighter has taken a serious hit after the Tom Aspinall fiasco. Many within the MMA community believe that Jones is no longer as intimidating as he once was, and the psychological tactics Aspinall has been using seem to be working against him, as more and more fans are turning away from Jones. Well, it’s not only Jon Jones’ stocks that are taking a hit from the fiasco; the UFC has been taking some serious hits as well.

UFC lightweight prospect believes Jon Jones-Tom Aspinall dilemma reveals UFC’s fading star power

Time and time again, the UFC CEO Dana White has claimed that he will make the Tom Aspinall vs. Jon Jones fight a reality. However, every time we get one step closer to the fight, Jones seems to jump ten steps ahead, making sure it never happens. Aspinall has held the interim championship belt for over 550 days, and according to fans, he is the rightful heavyweight champion.

They are now demanding either a title unification bout or that Jon Jones be stripped of the title. Amidst this ongoing fiasco, Renato Moicano has stepped forward to point out a critical weakness in the UFC’s business model. While having a conversation with MMA Fighting, Moicano revealed, “The UFC is in [Jones and McGregor’s] hands, but in my opinion, they should strip [Jones] of the belt and put Tom Aspinall to fight someone else.”

He further added, “But if you look at the division, who else? Ciryl Gane? I think Ciryl Gane sucks. People will criticize me, but Ciryl Gane can’t even spell jiu-jitsu. The UFC is in Jon Jones’ hands, and I don’t think the [Aspinall] fight won’t happen. Jon Jones is just buying time and won’t do it because there’s a big chance he loses to Tom Aspinall. Aspinall is a new generation of heavyweights.”

The solution to the heavyweight dilemma lies in stripping Jon Jones of the title. Renato Moicano pointed out that the UFC’s lack of star power has been exploited by a small group of fighters who currently dominate the spotlight within the promotion. With the entire MMA community calling for the title to be stripped, the question now is—will the UFC CEO finally take action?