The chances of Jon Jones meeting Tom Aspinall in the Octagon are looking slim.
Jones, who will defend his UFC heavyweight title at the organisation’s annual trip to Madison Square Garden in November, has made his clearest indication yet that his next fight will be his last when he takes on Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 on November 16.
“It’s going to be the last time,” Jones said of the showdown on Clocked N’ Loaded, as noted by MMA Fighting. “More than likely.”
Jones, 37, has competed for a little over two minutes in his heavyweight career dating back to his debut in the weight category against Ciyrl Gane in March of 2023. A proposed bout with former heavyweight champion Miococ scheduled for last November fell apart after Jones sustained a pectoral injury in training.
Filling that gap, Britain’s Tom Aspinall fought Russian powerhouse Sergei Pavlovich in a hastily-arranged bout in NYC to install an interim champion in the heavyweight division throughout Jones’ absence.
Aspinall has so far been frustrated in his efforts to arrange a unification matchup with Jones — while UFC boss Dana White has also maintained course for the Jones-Miocic title bout, despite Miocic being four years without a win in the division.
Earlier this summer, Aspinall took the somewhat unusual step of defending his interim title against Curtis Blaydes but has more recently said that his next fight will be for undisputed UFC heavyweight gold. And as of now at least, it looks like that won’t come against Jon Jones.
