Tired of ducking allegations, Jon Jones claps back at user mocking him for 'ruining his legacy'
Jon Jones has been under fire from fans for months for refusing to fight Tom Aspinall. Jones is the current heavyweight champion, with Aspinall holding the interim heavyweight championship.
'Bones' is set to defend his undisputed heavyweight title at UFC 309 on Nov. 16, but not against Aspinall. Instead the New York native will face Stipe Miocic, the man regarded by many as the greatest heavyweight in MMA history.
The pair were meant to fight at UFC 295 in November 2023 before Jones suffered a torn pectoral tendon several weeks before fight night. Their matchup was postponed, and the fight was replaced by an interim heavyweight title bout between Tom Aspinall and Sergei Pavlovich for an interim title instead. On the night, the Mancunian ended up scoring a first round KO over the Russian.
Following that, Jones vs. Miocic was rebooked, but fans let their frustration be known that 'Bones' was not facing the interim champion, and accused the 38-year old of ducking the Brit.
To add fuel to the fire, 'Bones' stated that should he defeat Miocic, he would be willing to vacate the heavyweight belt and pursue a fight with Alex Pereira. Jones' comments were uploaded to Instagram by ESPN MMA. In the comments section, Jones wrote:
"Double champ versus double champ! Doesn't get any bigger."
An Instagram user responded by saying:
"🦆🦆🦆 enough bro. You done ruined that legacy. Just retire Saturday after you get slept."
'Bones' retorted with:
"Yep, about 15 years undefeated is ruined because you didn't get the fight you wanted to see. Sure bud."
Check out Jon Jones' exchange with the user below:
Jon Jones shares surprising praise for Tom Aspinall's future
Tom Aspinall and Jon Jones have traded words online several times in 2024, as the interim champion showed his frustration with the 38-year old's lack of interest in unifying the heavyweight titles.
With Jones' main point regarding his lack of interest being the perceived lack of high-level opponents on Aspinall's record, the American recently shared some surprisingly positive words about the Mancunian's future in MMA.
Ahead of UFC 309, 'Bones' was interviewed by ESPN MMA, where he said this:
"I'm aware of Tom [Aspinall] and the work he's put in or lack thereof and I think he could have a tremendous future in the UFC but when you've been around this long, you realize that people are here today and gone tomorrow. Maybe eventually, if [Aspinall] can earn some things in the UFC."
Catch Jon Jones' comments below (7:40):