Jones has drawn the ire of MMA fans worldwide for his apparent avoidance of a fight with the interim UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall. And, despite UFC president and CEO Dana White saying that Jones has never turned a fight down, a unification battle between Jones and Aspinall remains unannounced.
Jones almost seems to have enjoyed provoking the fanbase online, while living his best life away from the cage, making personal appearances and traveling the globe.
But while few begrudge Jones the trappings of success and the desire to enjoy his life away from competition, plenty have called into question the validity of his ongoing champion status, especially given the presence of Aspinall, who captured the interim belt in November 2023 with a 69-second knockout of Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295, then defended it with a 60-second KO of Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304.
But, despite winning the interim belt and defending it, Aspinall remains out of action as he awaits what he, and many in the MMA world, feel he has rightfully earned – a shot at the undisputed crown.
Jones has repeatedly talked down the prospect of a fight with Aspinall, and in an appearance on the Full Send Podcast, Jones offered more reasons to be pessimistic about a future clash between the two UFC heavyweight champions.
“I don’t want to say I’m retired because fighting is in my blood,” said Jones.
“Right now, I could really care less about fighting. I’ve been doing it my entire life at a very high level. When the itch comes back, and if it comes back, then I’ll do it with my whole heart. I’ll do it to the best of my abilities.
“But right now, I look around at what’s true and what’s real. I see the way people look at me and how I make people feel, and it’s an extraordinary thing. It’s a true blessing.
“Now my job is to serve that – to give that to my fans, be reachable, be touchable, to let them know who I am inside. That’s who I am right now. I’ve punched and kicked enough people.”
When asked about Aspinall, Jones was complimentary, but hinted that he shouldn’t really want to fight him.
“I think he’s awesome,” said Jones.
“I think he should go on and have a wonderful career.
“No, I don’t think he needs me. I think when you want something bad enough and if you get it, it can be the worst thing that ever happened to you.”
And Jones went on to say that a fight with Aspinall just isn’t something that fires him up to return.
“I love being the ultimate troll,” he said.
“I’m in a spot right now where I’m really enjoying the fruits of my labor. All the hard work that I put in. He’s not in a position to excite me. It’s just the truth.
“Because if I whoop his ass, it’s going to be the next guy. There’s going to be a whole new fan base of somebody who everybody believes in. I’ve done this my whole adult life. I remember ‘Rampage’ (Jackson) fans years ago, Rashad (Evans) fans and Lyoto (Machida) fans. I’ve literally replayed this story so many times in my life.”
Despite reiterating his lack of interest in a fight with Aspinall, Jones did suggest that he would return at some point, but he stopped short of saying when, and against whom.
“I think I will fight again in the future,” he said.
“I think I will fight again. Where the future of combat sports is going, it’s going to be amazing when I pop back up. But right now I’m just focused on so many other things like family, like building my house, like building this brand.”
