“The fight is happening — it’s just a matter of when, getting the contract signed and finalized,” said UFC CEO Dana White about Jon Jones facing Tom Aspinall. But no matter how much White pushes, Jon Jones seems unwilling to step into the Octagon with Aspinall. Meanwhile, fans are calling for the heavyweight title to be stripped, and the division’s chaos only deepens as Aspinall grows increasingly restless. Amid this turmoil, UFC insider Chael Sonnen stepped in with an analogy, saying whether this fight happens or not, it won’t derail the UFC’s momentum.

“MMA is in a recession.” This is what renowned MMA journalist Ariel Helwani had to say about the current situation unfolding behind the closed doors of the UFC. And guess what? The fans are fed up with it. What was supposed to be a successful year for the promotion has raised doubts among fans, despite the UFC earning good revenue. And the Tom Aspinall vs. Jon Jones dilemma is at the centre of it. Many believe that if the UFC doesn’t take any concrete action, then it might lose its fanbase.

Well, Chael Sonnen would beg to differ. During a conversation with Daniel Cormier on Good Guy/Bad Guy, ‘The American Gangster’ revealed that they will sell out the entire arena regardless of whether the heavyweight title fight happens or not.“If we get that New York announcement in November—if these two actually fight—it’s going to be massive. But even if we don’t get that announcement, we’re still selling out New York in November. It’s still going to be huge.”

He further added, “We’re at a point now where these guys can really help the sport, but they’re no longer in a position to hurt it. People are just confused—’Is he the champ? Is he the champ?’ If one guy fights, it’s a title defense; if the other guy fights, maybe it’s not. But he should be fighting that guy, anyway. See what I mean? It’s just confusing for everyone.”

The MMA community is demanding a solution to the heavyweight dilemma, but the key stakeholders involved in the fight are unwilling to compromise. In a rather concerning revelation during a conversation on the DeepCut with VicBlends podcast, Jon Jones admitted that he can never accept defeat. He said, “I don’t think I can ever be a person who loves fighting as a non-winner. For me, I’m so connected to winning.”

This candid confession has led many to believe that this mindset is why the heavyweight champion is reluctant to fight Tom Aspinall. Regardless, even Daniel Cormier has raised some doubts over the fight ever materializing.

Daniel Cormier gives Tom Aspinall a reminder for Jon Jones

The Englishman is growing restless for a fight, demanding a matchup regardless of whether it’s against Jon Jones or not. There were even rumors that Aspinall might defend his interim title against Ciryl Gane this year, but nothing has been confirmed yet. In the heat of the moment, Daniel Cormier believes that Aspinall is deliberately doing things to provoke Jon Jones.

“I think he’s trying to do things to kind of annoy Jones, or show him that he doesn’t care… It’s like… the guys are missing a little bit. It’s big news, but if it’s a little bit known, it’s not as big. That was just Tom trolling, he’s like, ‘I don’t care Jon, you’re getting dipped by Dagestanis. You’re riding go-karts in freaking Thailand,’” Cormier said on his ‘Good Guy/Bad Guy Show.’

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He further added, “Well, you’re so cool, I’m cool too, and doing other things. So that’s not– it is off-brand, but it seemed to upset the fans. The one thing Tom can’t do, though, he’s got to be very careful, Chael, because right now he’s got everybody on his side. Everybody is like, ‘fight Tom Aspinal, we want to see you fight Tom Aspinal.’ H—, there is a petition with over 100,000 signatures to strip Jon Jones right now. Tom is the guy. You don’t want to turn the fans, though. He’s got to be very careful not to turn him… Do you worry that if he starts to play that behavior too much, eventually the fans will go not only does Jon Jones need to be stripped, you do too because you haven’t fought.”

Tom Aspinall is doing an amazing job getting into Jon Jones’ head, but can he maintain the momentum and support from his team? Only time will tell. For now, what are your thoughts on Chael Sonnen’s statement? Do you agree with him? Share your opinion in the comments below.