UFC CEO Dana White has faced increasing fan backlash since earlier this year, particularly after Tom Aspinall captured the interim championship belt and demanded a title shot against divisional kingpin Jon Jones. Anticipation for a unification showdown between Aspinall and reigning champion Jon Jones, sidelined since last year with a shoulder injury, has reached a fever pitch. While White seems adamant not to pay any heed to these demands, another surprising voice has joined his side.

White remains steadfast in his decision to book a fight between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic, a choice that has drawn significant criticism from the MMA community. Interestingly, current bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley has publically supported White’s decision.

Sean O’Malley backs Jon Jones’ next fight

Sean O’Malley aims to return to the Octagon in October, targeting a fight against Merab Dvalishvili to extend his winning streak to eight. While training, he co-hosts a podcast with coach Tim Welch, discussing recent MMA developments. In their latest episode, they analyzed Jon Jones’ potential fights, including a matchup against Alex Pereira. O’Malley commented on the long-anticipated Jones-Stipe Miocic fight, stating, “I feel like Jon Jones versus Stipe has been a thing for so long. It’s like, what are you going to tell Stipe? ‘Hey, we’re making this like it’s never happened before.'”

“Suga’s” point is valid. Last November, the Jon Jones-Stipe Miocic fight for UFC 295 fell through after Jones tore his pectoral tendon. Dana White subsequently announced a Sergeri Pavlovich-Tom Aspinall interim title fight. The Jones-Miocic matchup has been in limbo ever since, much like the Conor McGregor-Michael Chandler bout. O’Malley’s comments accurately reflect the growing impatience for the highly anticipated Miocic-Jones clash.

More than wanting to see a battle of the GOATs, fans are frustrated with Aspinall not getting his well-deserved title shot. The Brit won the interim title and defended it while Jones has been watching from the stands.

Even with the UFC greenlighting the Jon Jones-Stipe Miocic fight, Tom Aspinall, fresh off defending his interim title at UFC 304 in Manchester, remains dissatisfied. In all likelihood, he will have to sit out for the rest of the year if he wants to wait for his title shot. In a recent interview, Aspinall took another shot at Jon Jones.

Tom Aspinall seems to have had enough of Jon Jones

And why wouldn’t he? Following his successful defense of the interim heavyweight title against Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304, Tom Aspinall has maintained a relatively low profile, fueling speculation among fans that he has been silenced by Dana White. Nevertheless, Aspinall’s desire for the undisputed championship remains undiminished, and he has renewed his verbal assault on Jon Jones for rejecting his plea for a unification fight in favor of a match against Stipe Miocic.

In a recent interview on the Believe You Me podcast, Tom Aspinall took a jab at Jon Jones, commenting on his weight gain and claiming that Jones hoped he would lose to Curtis Blaydes. Aspinall said, “We know [Jones is] a bit overweight these days, the guy was sat there, mate, with the Cheeto fingers…the Doritos on his fingers with his iPhone in hand waiting for me to get knocked out so he could start tweeting about it. Let’s be honest, since I won that fight he’s gone completely quiet…because there’s no way on earth that he’s gonna fight me.”

“I will retire Jon Jones without even fighting him,” Aspinall added. This could very well come true as Jones has hinted several times that he might hand it up after fighting Miocic. There are also talks that the UFC has asked Aspinall to be the backup for the Jones vs. Miocic fight. But will Jones fight Aspinall as a replacement if Miocic is unable to make it?