For the longest time and especially before the conclusion of UFC 309 until last week, a question has been buzzing around the MMA world, leaving fans in a frenzy: Why does UFC head honcho Dana White seem to hold back from making what could be the biggest heavyweight clash between UFC heavyweight kingpin Jon Jones and interim champion Tom Aspinall?

Instead, the focus shifted toward the Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic fight, raising questions from the mainstream media about Jon Jones and Dana White suppressing Tom Aspinall’s voice, despite the Englishman rightly being next in line for the shot. It remained a mystery until now, as the UFC head honcho recently addressed it in an interview.

What held back Dana White from making Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall happen?

In his latest interview on the Noah Kara YouTube podcast, Dana White revealed what became “an albatross around the neck,” shedding light on the delay of the highly anticipated Jones vs. Aspinall fight. White explained the reasoning behind the matchup, stating, “This is a fight that they both wanted; it’s the fight that needs to happen.”

The Jones vs. Miocic fight was initially scheduled to take place at UFC 295 at Madison Square Garden last year. However, the fight was delayed for nearly a year after Jones tore a pectoral tendon during training. It finally took place last week, with Jones emerging victorious over Miocic in a dominant performance that ended with a spinning kick. Dana White also addressed why Tom Aspinall had to wait for his title shot, stating, “And, uh, you know, there’s no doubt that Tom Aspinall is a bad boy. Yeah, but Tom’s got to wait until these legends settle their fight, and then Tom’s gonna get his chance.”

Dana White further praised Jon Jones’ mentality, particularly if a fight against Tom Aspinall were to materialize, saying, “Because I believe that if Jon Jones wins, yeah, Jon Jones takes that fight. Really, we’re gonna have to, you know, work it out with Jon, however it plays out. But Jon Jones is a guy who loves to prove to everybody that they’re wrong, too.” Does this mean the Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall fight is already in the works?

And what happened to Jon Jones’ desired matchup against Alex Pereira? A top lightweight contender seems to know the answer to that.

Renato Moicano shed light on White’s strategic mindset

Jon Jones is currently at a point in his career where no championship or title defenses can lure him, except for a massive payday, which could come from a potential heavyweight clash between him and UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira. This clash could generate enough PPV buys and live gate revenue for Jones to walk away a very happy man.

However, Dana White debunked this idea at the post-fight pressers for UFC 309. He explained to the assembled media, “His wrestling isn’t even near the level of Jon Jones, and Jon Jones is way bigger than him. If Jon Jones wants to fight again after Saturday night, he will fight Tom Aspinall.” However, UFC lightweight Renato Moicano has a different theory.

Moicano believes that, even though Dana White might be playing games, the fight between Jon Jones and Alex Pereira is likely next in the pipeline. Moicano stated, “If Aspinall is the interim champion, and now Jon Jones is the champion, they should make the fight. But I think the fight the UFC is going to do, even though Dana White may be playing games, is Jones vs. Alex Pereira. 100%, that fight makes sense for Pereira…”

What are your thoughts on Dana White’s remark? Do you believe it was a reasonable decision to prioritize the Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic fight, given that both are seasoned MMA veterans and their rivalry had been delayed since last year? Drop your opinion below.