A petition to strip Jon Jones of the UFC heavyweight title already bought his endorsement when he joked that he hoped the web effort ended up with 200,000 signatures, however in actuality, he most likely doesn’t care a lot about these calls to remove his championship.
That’s in accordance with veteran UFC play-by-play man Jon Anik, who was requested concerning the petition that’s been gaining curiosity as delays in reserving Jones towards interim champion Tom Aspinall have dragged on for months. Aspinall went as far as to congratulate Jones on his retirement and crown himself the undisputed heavyweight champion, regardless that neither are literally true.
Jones remains to be holding onto the belt, and he’s constantly teased his return to motion, which is why Anik doesn’t purchase that the fighter many contemplate as the best of all time is sweating some on-line petition.
“So I feel a combat between Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall is larger if they’re each champions,” Anik mentioned through the UFC 316 pre-fight press convention. “I’m hopeful they’re going to combat in December in Las Vegas. I’ve no inside data.
“However I don’t know that Jon Jones actually offers a rip in the event that they strip him of the heavyweight championship. He’s nonetheless going to combat Tom, hopefully, and it’s nonetheless going to be a bag.”
It’s onerous to argue with Anik’s logic, particularly contemplating the best way Jones has constantly laughed off requires him to get stripped of the UFC heavyweight title.
Add to that, Jones nonetheless holding onto the belt after which dealing with an interim champion like Aspinall, offers the UFC a straightforward promotional software to construct what might find yourself as the most important combat in heavyweight historical past.
So far as timing goes, Jones teased only recently that he’s been sworn to secrecy concerning the UFC’s plans for him and Aspinall, whereas the British-born heavyweight has constantly mentioned he hopes to listen to an announcement quickly concerning his future.
With the UFC already beginning to plan for occasions into August and September, it appears unlikely that Jones and Aspinall will meet earlier than the ultimate few months of the yr, however there are nonetheless loads of choices obtainable.
As Anik talked about, the UFC is anticipated to shut out the yr with a giant occasion in Las Vegas, after which November sometimes serves as the house for a pay-per-view card at Madison Sq. Backyard in New York — the identical location the place Jones vanquished former UFC heavyweight king Stipe Miocic this previous yr.
There’s no telling when the combat may truly get scheduled, however UFC CEO Dana White has constantly promised he plans to ship Jones vs. Aspinall someday in 2025.
