After Jon Jones successfully defended his heavyweight title for the first time against Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 last week, fight fans have been eagerly awaiting the long-discussed Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall heavyweight clash, which has been pending for over a year. The excitement grew yesterday when Jon Jones confirmed the fight was in the works during an interview with Schmo, stating, “We’re in negotiations.” Just hours later, Tom Aspinall fueled the speculation with a post on Instagram, teasing a “big announcement” that sent fans into a frenzy, hoping the fight would transition from hypothetical to reality.

Media outlets, including MMA Junkie, have been closely following the developments. During a recent interview with UFC commentator Jon Anik, the host pressed Anik for a potential timeline on the Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall fight. Anik could not answer when, but he confidently predicted the fight would happen.

Anik pointed to Jones’ post-fight interview with Joe Rogan after UFC 309, where he expressed a clear focus on his next fights, saying, “I do believe that fight is going to happen. I think the most telling part was just the way Jon Jones handled his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan. Then, I talked to him after the fact in the back for ESPN, and I was like, ‘Are we getting three or four more of these things or what?’ You know, he was going into the Stipe fight with a fight-by-fight mentality.”

The color commentator further connected the dots, noting that Jones’ comments with Rogan made it clear he wasn’t thinking about retirement. He added, “He sounded like the furthest thing from retirement with Rogan after the fact. So that’s very encouraging.” Initially, Jon Jones was avoiding a fight with Tom Aspinall in favor of facing Alex Pereira, but with pressure mounting from all sides, Jones may now be gearing up to face Aspinall next.

Daniel Cormier reveals Jon Jones-Dana White tension over Tom Aspinall

Dana White has been supportive of Jon Jones from the beginning, but earlier this year, it became more evident when Dana openly backed Jones despite his irregularities outside the Octagon, which sparked criticism in the MMA community. However, despite the negative remarks from some, Dana remained unfazed, defending Jones’ legacy and protecting it from criticism.

Now, after successfully defending his heavyweight title, Jon Jones has no other option but to face Tom Aspinall. Even Dana White, who had been pushing for a potential fight with Alex Pereira, can’t avoid the inevitable. He has ordered Jones to face Aspinall if he’s not retiring.

Recently, Daniel Cormier weighed in on the situation during his “Good Guy/Bad Guy” podcast, commenting on the evolving dynamics between Jones and Dana White. Cormier said, “They’ve been pretty aligned lately, Jones and Dana. This is the first time—I’m not saying they’re not aligned anymore—but the first time Dana has said, ‘No, it’s Tom Aspinall.’ Then he added, ‘If he fights Alex, he’s just going to take him down, right? He’s bigger, he kind of knows,’ and that’s like, you can’t trick the public.”

Now, the ball is in Dana White and the UFC’s court to announce the fight date, which currently seems far off. However, with so many ongoing hints in the MMA world, it’s possible that the fight could happen soon. Stay tuned for further updates.