"Who am I to tell Jon Jones what to do?" - Tom Aspinall changes his mind about title stripping after retort from 'Bones'
Tom Aspinall seems to have changed his mind after demanding Jon Jones be stripped of the UFC heavyweight championship.
Last month, Jones was forced to withdraw from his first defense of the UFC heavyweight title after sustaining an injury in training. Since then, it has been confirmed by UFC CEO Dana White that 'Bones' will reportedly be sidelined for eight months and will still face Stipe Miocic upon his return to the octagon.
However, it has led to a lot of criticism, with many suggesting that Jon Jones should be stripped of his title, including Tom Aspinall, who won the UFC interim heavyweight championship at UFC 295. Jones recently responded to Aspinall's comments while highlighting his 15-year career.
Jones' post has seemingly led Tom Aspinall to change his mindset with regard to the title mix. During a recent interview with SunSport, Aspinall stated that Jones shouldn't be stripped of his title. Claiming that he is no one to tell 'Bones' what he should do, the Brit said:
"I actually worded it wrong. I don't think he should get stripped because I think Jon Jones has done so much for the sport as it is that I think he maybe deserves [to keep the belt]. I think he should potentially vacate. But at the same time, who am I to tell Jon Jones what to do?"
Dana White claims Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic deserve to fight each other
Despite many suggesting that Tom Aspinall should fight Stipe Miocic in the absence of Jon Jones, UFC CEO Dana White is keen to make the Jones vs. Miocic matchup.
Speaking at the UFC on ESPN 52 post-fight press conference, White was asked if he would consider stripping Jones of his UFC heavyweight title, to which he replied by saying that both Miocic and Jones deserve to fight each other first. He said:
"Well, the Stipe fight has to happen, yeah. Both of those guys deserve it. You got the greatest mixed martial artist of all-time 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."
Watch the press conference below: