Many agree that Jon Jones is the greatest mixed martial arts fighter of all-time. However, Jones’ resume has not saved him from criticism. As fans grow restless to see Jones fight interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall, an online petition demands that UFC CEO Dana White strip Jones of the UFC heavyweight championship.
It’s been 18 months since Aspinall won the interim UFC heavyweight title, a fight booked after Jones pulled out of his first heavyweight title defense against Stipe Miocic. The UFC insisted on seeing Jones vs. Miocic through, despite Miocic not having fought in years and Aspinall’s rightful claim to a title shot.
Once Jones beat Miocic last year, hopes were that Jones vs. Aspinall would finally take place. But Jones continues to drag his feet, leading to increased fan frustration. A Change.org petition demanding that UFC strip Jones of the heavyweight championship has received more than 130,000 signatures.
“There is a clear interim champion, Tom Aspinall, who has defended his interim championship belt. Aspinall is ready to fight Jones. Jones refuses to fight him,” the Change.org petition reads. “Therefore, we as fans must let Dana White know: It is time to strip Jon Jones of the heavyweight title. He clearly has no intentions of fighting anytime soon.”
Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall fight’s failure to launch just the latest example of UFC missing the plot in 2025
Brian Campbell
Jones acknowledged the petition’s existence, mocking it when it had approximately 40,000 signatures. One featured comment on the petition received more than 1,000 likes. The longtime UFC and Jones fan highlighted how the situation impacts fans and Aspinall.
“I’ve been a huge UFC fan since about 2006. I watch every PPV and tend to travel to one to two live events a year,” user Sean Bismarck wrote. “At one time, Jon Jones was my favorite fighter. Hell, I had his shoes, even! This whole debacle is a stain to the sport. If Jon won’t fight Tom, he needs to be stripped.
“Dana cannot keep playing favorites like this. It’s asinine. It’s wasting Tom’s prime, it’s unfair to other fighters, and quite frankly it’s ruining the sport. Love the UFC, but this is an issue, and perhaps we all need to boycott it; they won’t do something about it.”
A UFC champion and an interim champion are supposed to fight each other in a title unifier. Last year, Aspinall became the fourth fighter in UFC history to defend an interim title, beating Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304. Aspinall, who averaged two fights a year since signing with UFC in 2020, hasn’t fought since July 2024 with no firm deadline for the Jones fight. These incidents highlight how Aspinall has been denied his rightful chance to become the undisputed champion.
White assured fans and the media that Jones vs. Aspinall would be booked this year, but no progress has been made publicly as the summer approaches.
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