By now, it’s hard to tell if the world is still buzzing or just exhausted from hearing about a potential clash between UFC’s heavyweight king, Jon Jones, and the ever-patient Tom Aspinall. This clash has been dangling in front of us for what feels like an eternity. Ducking accusations, random call-outs, and now, maybe, a 2025 showdown. But hold up, not everyone is sold on the idea.

The middleweight king, Dricus Du Plessis had some choice words for the much-anticipated bout. According to him, it’s a fight we don’t even need to see. Sounds like the South African is ready to move on to better things. “It’s a fight I don’t need to see because the world want to see this. Because I love Aspinall, I think he’s phenomenal,” the 185lbs gold standard shared in a chat with Mark Bouris.

He went on to gush about the Englishman’s skills, grappling, wrestling, striking, you name it. “I think in the heavyweight division, he [Tom] has grappling, wrestling, incredible striking, you don’t see that with heavyweights.” So far, so good, right? Here’s the twist—Dricus isn’t just praising Aspinall but he also believes Jon Jones is on another level, especially at heavyweight.

However, he delivered a dose of reality, suggesting that time may be catching up with the UFC legend. “Jon Jones is years ahead of everybody, especially at heavyweight—until Aspinall came along,” Dricus remarked. Is this a backhanded compliment or genuine respect with a side of truth?

And the more ‘Stillknocks’ went on, the more it became clear. This clash isn’t something he’s itching for and for a personal reason. “I don’t want either one of them to lose. I want Jon Jones to retire unbeaten,” Dricus said, adding a touch of respect for Jones’ legacy. And fair enough, no one’s going to argue with the heavyweight champ’s undefeated streak (excluding that whole DQ, which is now legal).

But the 185lbs champ would rather see Jones bow out on top, preserving the legend, rather than risk it in a bout with someone like Aspinall. But hey, let’s not get too sidetracked here. While Dricus is waving the red flag, Dana White, UFC’s head honcho (and Jon Jones’ biggest fan), is also on the case.

Is the UFC boss finally pushing for a Jones-Aspinall fight, and are we still waiting?

Now, you’ve got to love Dana’s take on this whole situation, he’s been teasing us with this fight for a while, and here we are still, with no official date in sight. But don’t worry, the head honcho got it all under control, right? “We’re working on it,” White told The Mac Life, in that signature ‘let’s keep this moving, but we’re totally not rushing’ tone. “There’s no situation… it’s the biggest fight we can make,” he said, dangling the fight once again in front of our eyes. Now, Jon Jones is Dana’s golden boy, his favorite competitor!

The one who will never say no and, if he does, will be paid enough to forget about it. Jones is essentially invincible so the UFC CEO is in hype mode, hoping we all keep salivating for the fight. It’s just a matter of making it happen, according to him. Because, you know, “Jon Jones isn’t afraid of anybody, Jon Jones will fight anybody,” he had added, casually ignoring the fact that Bones might be waiting for a paycheck as big as his legacy.

But the UFC boss, probably sick of all the noise, seemed a little all over the place. One moment, he’s backing Jones and the next, he’s threatening to strip him of his title. If ‘Bones’ doesn’t sign on the dotted line, White’s ready to move on. “If we don’t get the fight on, then we make another fight,” White said. He is clearly growing impatient with the endless back and forth. Honestly, at this point, Dana’s probably wondering if he should just take that ‘favorite’ title and find someone else to carry it.

But who knows, maybe Jones will surprise him (and us all) and make this fight happen sooner rather than later. But until then, we’re in this loop of ‘maybe, maybe not’ that’s becoming all too familiar. So, what do you think? Will Jon Jones rise to the occasion and take on Aspinall in 2025? Or will Dana have to go back to the drawing board? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!