“Stripped? Lol, do I come across as the type of person who cares about things like that?” Jon Jones fired back from Thailand, clapping back at the swarm of tweets calling him out for delaying the Tom Aspinall fight. Maybe he doesn’t care about holding onto the heavyweight title—but one prominent UFC talking head thinks a furious Dana White might not take too kindly to the delays, and things could turn ugly if Jones keeps dragging it out.

The UFC head honcho didn’t hesitate to call Jones vs. Aspinall “the biggest fight in heavyweight history” after ‘Bones’ beat a 40-year-old Stipe Miocic at UFC 309. The tone was set back then—this heavyweight unification bout was supposed to be the spectacle fans were promised. But it’s been over six months of patient waiting, and even during the recent UFC 317 announcement stream, Dana White still insisted the fight is happening.

Jon Jones hinted that something’s brewing behind the scenes, saying he already told the UFC his plans and doesn’t know why they haven’t shared them. While those plans remain a mystery, fans are losing patience, so much so that a “Strip Jon Jones” petition has passed 100,000 signatures. While Jones might not care about online outrage, Chael Sonnen believes the champ might end up dealing with something far worse than fan backlash, which is an angry Dana White.

At the Good Guy / Bad Guy show, Sonnen said, “But yes, to your point [Talking to Daniel Cormier], Dana White privately does have a date and a location. Privately, Dana White would try to bring that fight on that date and location as we get closer to that date and location. If Dana doesn’t succeed at that fight getting close, he’s gonna start to get angry, and that’s the one piece these guys haven’t had a deal with yet. It’s not the same guy. It’s not a guy that you wanna say no to.”

Although Dana White has called Jon Jones the greatest of all time, he’s also admitted that dealing with the reigning heavyweight champ isn’t always easy. Back in 2024 on the BIG podcast, White said, “Jon Jones and I have not had a great relationship as far as business goes.” And it seems like history’s repeating itself. While it’s unlikely, the longer this delay drags on, the more people wonder whether a furious Dana White would actually pull off the drastic move.

There’s still hope that Tom Aspinall might get his shot to unify the belt at the November card at Madison Square Garden—a venue where Jon Jones typically fights. However, no one knows if the delay will continue. As Daniel Cormier once pointed out, Jones may have accidentally admitted one compelling reason behind the halt. 

Jon Jones proves Daniel Cormier’s theory right about avoiding Tom Aspinall

Jon Jones’ constant delays in fighting Tom Aspinall have to mean something. Many suspect it’s a mind game meant to wear the Brit down mentally before the bout. But it also raises a question—if the heavyweight champ is truly the greatest of all time, why would he need so much mind game to beat anyone on the planet?

Well, Cormier made a solid point that his bitter rival might actually fear getting knocked out by the British juggernaut, hence the delays. Jon Jones himself admitted on his podcast with DeepCut and VicBlends, “I’m so connected to winning, it’s probably not even healthy. I see fighters take losses, smile, hug their wives, and say, ‘Better luck next time.’ If I ever lost, I’d be devastated—angry, upset, and depressed. That’s just my winning nature.”

Since there’s a clear similarity between Jones’ statement and Cormier’s theory, it’s safe to assume why Jon Jones asked for six months to prepare for a threat like Tom Aspinall. It’s not just about breaking Cain Velasquez’s record as the longest-reigning heavyweight champ, it’s also about strategizing and planning against one of the most formidable opponents he’s likely to face.

The lead-up to the biggest heavyweight fight has been confusing and exhausting for many. But it’s still too early to say if it’ll happen or not. That being said, do you think the delay will finally make Dana White angry enough to take drastic action, or will Jones and Aspinall face off as planned? Share your thoughts in the comments below.