Jon Jones may well be stripped of the title soon! Yes, that’s right, Dana White’s favorite contender may very well be out of the UFC roster, as seemingly he is not coming back to defend his title anytime soon. Having cut off his finger recently, he is likely to be out for the rest of the year as well. And since he has been out for the past year too, Dana White may have no choice but to take the undisputed title off of Jones and put it on Tom Aspinall, the interim champion’s back.

Jones, of course, was scheduled to defend his title against former champion Stipe Miocic at UFC 295 last year, yet, tragedy struck! Bones injured himself, which kept the two-division champion out of action for such an extended period. Meanwhile, a formidable challenger has emerged for the title, and in this article, we take a look at why Jones refuses to fight the challenger.

Why does Jon Jones want Stipe Miocic over Tom Aspinall?

Jones’ career is coming to an end, and his next fight is expected to be his last. This is probably why he has chosen to move up to heavyweight. What better way to make sure you’re remembered as the GOAT than to move up to the UFC’s heaviest and most dangerous division and become champion there? All of this, of course, after a decade of dominance at light heavyweight. Stipe Miocic on the other hand, may not be considered the greatest, but he is Dana White’s pick for the heavyweight GOAT. So a GOAT vs GOAT fight would be legacy-defining for ‘Bones’, right? Well most likely not, for reasons we will see later.

Things were coming together perfectly for Jones until tragedy struck last November! Jones had a freak accident and tore his pectoral muscle weeks from their scheduled UFC 295 clash, and thus had to pull out. The undisputed champ hasn’t fought since and is expected to fight Miocic sometime later this year. And in the meantime, there is a new challenger on the block who has the strongest claim to fighting ‘Bones’.

As a replacement for Jones-Miocic on UFC 295, Dana White and co. made a fantastic move. The UFC booked a cracking matchup between Tom Aspinall, perhaps the most promising young prospect in all of the UFC, and Sergei Pavlovich, the boogeyman of the division, for the interim title. Aspinall knocked out the Russian in 69 seconds to become the new interim champ.

Since then, the fans have been calling on Jones to prove he is the best heavyweight in the world and unify the title against Aspinall. However, Jones is unmoved and has maintained that he will only fight Miocic next, and has flatly refused to face the interim champ, despite almost the entire MMA world calling for it. But why is Jones adamant he will not fight Aspinall?

Fans think Jones is trying to duck the dangerous Aspinall

As far as Jones is concerned, he has argued (unconvincingly for most fans) that the Englishman is not a ‘big enough name’ to fight him, the man considered the greatest ever by many. In typical Jon Jones fashion, ‘Bones’ has spared no opportunity to ridicule the interim champ every chance he gets, especially his resume, which Jones feels is not up to scratch. Another problem he has with the interim champ is that he will not add anything to his already illustrious legacy. So, a high-risk, low-reward fight for the champion.

While Jones may claim he doesn’t want to face the Englishman for these reasons, most of the UFC world is unconvinced. Fans think that Jones is ducking Aspinall, because of the threat ‘Honey Badger’ poses to him. Many have pointed out that things such as the resume, legacy considerations, and star power are irrelevant as far as interim champions are concerned. The way it goes in the fight game is that the undisputed champion fights the interim champ the first chance they get.

Two kings, after all, cannot sit on the same throne. One has to go. And in the fight game, two men enter and one emerges as the real champion whenever there is any doubt or if the title is disputed. Doing otherwise, most feel, would not only be against the unwritten rules of the game but just plain wrong at a competitive level

However, Miocic is a much better matchup for Jones, who is not a natural heavyweight. Miocic of course, is 41, pretty close to the end of his career, and coming off a concussive knockout at the hands of Francis Ngannou two years ago. This is why Jones is almost definitely expected to defeat the former champion. In sharp contrast, Aspinall is a natural heavyweight, giving him the size advantage over Jones. Not to mention the interim champ is in his prime, and with his almost flawless game, has a skillset that will be a tough cookie for the New York native to crack.

This is why there is a feeling among fans that Jones wants to fight Miocic for the bragging rights, and probably retire straight after, having defeated most people’s pick for the heavyweight GOAT. Fighting Aspinall is exponentially more risky and would put the heavyweight champion’s heavyweight legacy at risk. Who do you think Jon Jones should fight next?