Jon Jones has made up his mind. The heavyweight champion of the world will be facing Stipe Miocic and not Tom Aspinall to defend his belt. The date of the match is yet to be ascertained but it’s official that ‘Bones’ wants no one besides Miocic. For, Aspinall, well, he would have to defend his interim heavyweight belt on UFC 304 against his former opponent Curtis Blaydes. However, there’s a bit of a twist to it as well.

Just when you thought the drama couldn’t get any more intense, it did. There have been calls from different sections of the MMA community to strip the title of Jon Jones due to his hiatus but Dana White seems to be hellbent on not making that call. Nonetheless, a UFC veteran has stepped forward into the hubbub with the same daring call for the UFC supremo- Strip Jon Jones of his heavyweight title.

UFC veteran wants Dana White to strip Jon Jones of heavyweight title

To give you a bit of a context of what transpired till now, well, Jon Jones was supposed to defend his title against Stipe Miocic on UFC 295. However, a sudden injury just days ahead of his clash forced ‘Bones’ to cancel the bout and he has been on a hiatus since then. After his withdrawal, Dana White pulled in Tom Aspinall and Sergei Pavlovich to fight for the interim heavyweight belt. The duo accepted the fight and what followed was a dominant performance from Aspinall to clinch the interim title for himself.

Well, The Englishman was happy that he was finally getting his chance for ‘265’ lbs of gold but Jon Jones and even the number one contender, Stipe Miocic had other different plans for the young star. Both Jones and Miocic disregarded fighting Aspinall. Aspinall has been since then having a banter with both the veteran fighters. Amid this hubbub, Aspinall has found a ton of support from fans and fighters who think that it would be better for Jones to relinquish his title.

Nonetheless, in the midst of all these former UFC fighter, Dan Hardy has come forward to openly support Aspinall and gave an ultimatum to Dana White, “I’m glad to see Tom Aspinall back on home soil, but it’s unfortunate that it’s not for the actual belt. I do think it’s time. I mean, it will have been 511 days that Jon Jones has not been active, and that was the same point at which Conor McGregor was stripped of his title. So, for me, I think they should make it the official title and put it in the main event.” said Hardy on ‘Title Sports Network’ 

Conor McGregor was stripped of his lightweight as well as featherweight titles due to inactivity back and Dan Hardy thinks that the time has come for the promotion to be harsh on Jones and strip his title as well. Nonetheless, Jones’s return can be a red alert for Aspinall:- Not because of the fight but because of relevance.

Chael Sonnen believes Jones’s return might be a warning for Aspinall

‘The Battle of the GOATs’ is what is named for Jon Jones’s fight against Stipe Miocic. Many believe that Jones would be retiring after the might and Aspinall would be finally getting the belt. However, the reality might be a bit too cruel to the Britisher than this. Sonnen believes that there’s a high chance that Tom Aspinall will be stripped away from his title as soon as Jon Jones returns.

While having a conversation with former UFC fighter Demetrious Johnson, Sonenn said, “The interim champion can only exist when there is the absence of an undisputed champion. And therefore the moment the bell rings for Jon Jones’s next fight there is no longer an interim champion. The moment the bell rings, the undisputed champion has returned, which means Tom Aspinall sitting in the front row with his shiny belt is stripped instantly,”

Jones may or may not retire after his bout against Miocic but one thing is for sure and that is the road ahead for Tom Aspinall. Nonetheless, what’s your take on the entire situation? State your thoughts in the comments below.