Jon Jones getting stripped of his heavyweight title due to inactivity is far from anything Dana White has in mind despite Tom Aspinall's demands
Jon Jones was forced to withdraw from his UFC 295 heavyweight title bout against Stipe Miocic last month. According to UFC CEO Dana White, 'Bones' tore the tendon that connects the pectoral muscle to the bone, and will reportedly be sidelined for about eight months.
While Jones and Miocic are determined to bring the fight together in 2024, there has been some opposition, most notably from interim UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall and Daniel Cormier, for Jones to be stripped of his title.
When asked about these recent comments and the notion that Jones should be stripped, Dana White shut down the idea while reiterating that 'Bones' will still face Miocic. Speaking at the UFC Austin post-fight press conference, White stated:
"Well, the Stipe fight has to happen, yeah. Both of those guys deserve it. You got the greatest mixed martial artist of all-time [Jon Jones] versus the greatest heavyweight of all-time. They've paid their dues, they've done their things. These two want to fight each other. It's going to happen. Whoever wins, we'll see what they decide to do after that and then we'll go from there."
Check out Dana White's comments on Jon Jones being stripped below:
Jones has previously shared that he will likely retire after defending his title against Miocic. It is unclear if his stance will change following his first heavyweight title defense.
What led to Dana White being asked about stripping Jon Jones of the heavyweight title?
There have been plenty of calls for Jon Jones to be stripped of the heavyweight title considering that he is sidelined with injury. Tom Aspinall, who secured the interim heavyweight championship at UFC 295, was the first to speculate that every injured fighter gets stripped of their title, and he suggested the same should happen to Jones.
Daniel Cormier, who has a long-time rivalry with 'Bones', agreed with the No.1-ranked heavyweight. Speaking to Ariel Helwani of The MMA Hour, the UFC Hall of Famer stated:
"I said that I believe that [the interim heavyweight title] fight, before Sergei lost, was for the undisputed title because if Jones and Stipe [Miocic] are only going to fight each other then you cannot have Tom Aspinall then defend the interim championship. I feel like this because Jones and Stipe don't need the title to be on the line. They can just fight and that's enough. Call it for the greatest of all-time. It doesn't matter. Create a belt."
Check out Daniel Cormier's full comments on Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall below:
Despite the comments from Aspinall and Cormier, it appears that the UFC will continue with their plan of having Jones face Stipe Miocic for the heavyweight title. It is unclear when the pair will clash, however, the bout will be among the most highly anticipated matchups in 2024.