Arguably, the biggest fight brewing in the UFC is the long-awaited showdown between Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall. It all began in 2023 when Aspinall claimed the interim heavyweight title, and with the two-year anniversary fast approaching, fans are still waiting for Jones to acknowledge the Brit as his next opponent. Tired of the silence, the MMA community has erupted, launching a petition to strip Jon Jones of his title, and it has already smashed past 180,000 signatures. Amid the uproar, Dana White and Tom Aspinall stepped in to shake things up.

At the UFC 316 post-fight press conference, the UFC CEO was asked about the possibility of the heavyweight clash. In response, Dana White stated, “I’ve been saying it since the beginning—Jon Jones was offered the fight and he accepted. Jon agreed to fight Tom, yes.”  The UFC head honcho further explained that he won’t be giving up on the fight and is determined to make it happen. Meanwhile, White praised Aspinal for his combat readiness and stated, “Tom Aspinall’s the guy. He’s the guy.”

If we were to form an opinion based on Dana White’s statement, the takeaway is that he remains ambitious about the fight. However, there still seems to be an unresolved mystery surrounding Jon Jones. Regardless, reacting to Dana White’s statement, Tom Aspinall stated on his YouTube channel that he’s not in a position to reveal any details, but he’s confident that something big is coming for the heavyweight division.

“Listen, I don’t do that kind of stuff. If I’m going to come out and say something, it’s going to be informed information. Do you know what I mean? So, as I’ve said a couple of times, not for me to say—that’s beyond my pay grade. I don’t announce no fights. I don’t announce no UFC news or nothing like that. But there’s some coming. There’s definitely some coming,” said Tom Aspinall while walking his dog in the fields on his YouTube handle.

Now, let’s take a look at where everyone stands in the game. UFC CEO Dana White is obviously leading the charge, trying to make this fight happen. He has faced heavy criticism for not stripping Jon Jones of the title because according to him, there’s “no way Jones doesn’t want to fight Aspinall.” Still, there’s a clear disillusionment among fans because White and Jones are saying starkly different things.

As for Aspinall, he’s simply tired of waiting. He’s held the interim title for over 550 days now. At this point, he just wants a fight—whether it’s against Jon Jones or not. And what about Jon Jones? Well, the champion himself is enjoying his time back in Thailand. With all of the stakeholders giving nothing but subtle hints, the MMA community has become tired of the ongoing confusion. Amidst this chaos, a new name is coming into play, and the UFC CEO appears to be in no mood to entertain it.

Dana White disregarded any comeback news  about Francis Ngannou

“You take care of the UFC, I’ll take care of the PFL, and we’ll finally find out who’s the KING OF THE HEAVYWEIGHT,” wrote Francis Ngannou on his X handle after Jon Jones hinted at a potential super-fight between them.  The former heavyweight champion is not a regular on social media, or at least on X. But when Jon Jones stirred the pot, he couldn’t help but respond to the UFC heavyweight champion.

Jon Jones vs. Francis Ngannou is one of the biggest “what-ifs” in the sport, with many fans still hoping it will happen one day. At the UFC 316 post-fight press conference, when the UFC CEO was asked about the potential return of Ngannou, he appeared shocked by the question, as it clearly caught him off guard.

“Probably not,” White said when asked about Ngannou’s chances of returning to the UFC. With the UFC CEO denying any involvement from Ngannou, it’s clear that if the fight does happen, it can only take place outside the UFC’s purview. Amid all the hubbub, when do you think UFC will book the heavyweight title unification clash?