It's time for UFC to strip Jon Jones of the heavyweight title 383b2b
Enough is enough. o206h
It's been six months since Jon Jones defended the UFC heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic, and based on his latest social media comments, it doesn't sound like he has any desire to return to the Octagon anytime soon.
Jones said Wednesday on X he's "genuinely enjoying life," seemingly content to do anything but fight. But he also refused to call himself retired since, as he put it, he'll always be able to "pop out and show 'em." What exactly that means is anyone's guess, but Jones seems to be saying he doesn't want to fight right now but might want to again at some point. Essentially, he wants to come and go as he pleases.
Here's the thing: While it might be OK to be a part-time fighter, it's definitely not OK to be a part-time champion.
It's understandable that Jones has one foot in the door and one foot out. He's 37 years old, has been a pro since 2008, and has accomplished everything there is to accomplish in MMA. No one would blame him if he were to retire. But he can't keep holding up the heavyweight division.
Jones is the least active champion in the UFC. He's held the heavyweight title since March 2023 and has defended it once - against a semi-retired former champ who hadn't fought in over three years. Jones has fought just twice in the last five years, and the last time he competed more than once in the same calendar year was in 2019.
Unless Jones suddenly decides he wants to fight again, the UFC should do the right thing by stripping him of the heavyweight championship and promoting Tom Aspinall.
It's been over a year and a half since Aspinall won the interim title, and the fact that he's yet to challenge for the undisputed belt is, quite frankly, ridiculous, and a disservice to the Brit, to MMA fans, and to the sport. Fans have been dying to see Jones and Aspinall meet in the cage, but if that isn't going to happen, the next best thing for the division is Aspinall starting to carve his own legacy by defending the belt against whoever the No. 1 contender is.
Aspinall has every right to be upset with how much of a mess this has all turned into. He's in the prime of his career. He's the face of British MMA. And he should've fought for the undisputed title a year ago. But Jones is holding him back. Aspinall wants to prove he's the best heavyweight in the world. Jones, by choosing not to fight or give up the title, is preventing him from doing that.
The UFC doesn't seem to be doing Aspinall any favors either. UFC CEO Dana White keeps saying that Jones and Aspinall will definitely fight in 2025, but Jones is off in Thailand riding motorcycles and making fun of MMA fans on Instagram Live who call him out for ducking Aspinall. Where do we draw the line? How long should Aspinall have to wait to fight for the title? At what point do we move on?
Just last week, Islam Makhachev was forced to vacate the UFC lightweight title so he could fight for the welterweight belt. Makhachev could lose to Jack Della Maddalena and immediately return to 155 pounds, but that doesn't seem to matter. It makes sense that the UFC doesn't want Makhachev to hold up the lightweight division, but it's ridiculous that the promotion seems OK with setting different standards for different champions.
There's not even a downside to stripping Jones of the heavyweight title. It would give the division some much-needed life, and then Jones could fight Aspinall whenever he decides he's ready. Or he could fight someone else, like Alex Pereira. And he'd be able to do that freely, since he wouldn't be the champion of a division.
Jones is arguably the greatest fighter of all time, but that doesn't excuse him from upholding the basic responsibilities of a UFC champion. Enough is enough.