Jon Jones and former UFC double champion Conor McGregor have always been good friends. From bragging about their expensive watches to a history of throwing extravagant parties, the fighters, who both reached the pinnacle of MMA, also have more in common outside of the octagon. But Jones, visibly, lags behind McGregor in one area — the social media game.
But it seems the UFC heavyweight champion has taken a cue from The Notorious while dealing with his impending fight against interim champion Tom Aspinall. Jones will do just about everything but fight Aspinall at the moment.
However, the champ has been pushed to the wall by the MMA community for stalling the UFC heavyweight division. Jones, in response, has resorted to mudslinging through posts on X, which were later deleted. That’s straight out of McGregor’s social media playbook!
While Jones hasn’t said anything remotely offensive like McGregor, the pattern remains glaring and in your face. Then again, the UFC champion can’t escape the repercussions.
After all, with 3 million followers, screenshots are taken by many for posterity (read: for calling out later). And, Jones’ latest post has received more than its fair share of ire.
The first question on everyone’s mind was, “Who is he talking about?” Of course it would be, when the original post by X read: “The guy who was known for calling out Jon Jones and didn’t end up being great at all.”
Some X users claimed that he was still being salty about being repeatedly called a ‘duck’ by Aspinall and the larger UFC fandom. “Ducking Aspinall is a weird flex”, they said.
Others were happy to remind him that Aspinall isn’t the only opponent Jones has dodged in his career. After a controversial win against Dominick Reyes at UFC 247 in 2020, Jones refused to entertain a rematch with the then-light heavyweight challenger.
“Also ducked the Dom rematch“, said an unsubtle fan on X.
Others, who were still confused by the post, let the heavyweight champion know what they thought of him and said, “What a weirdo just fight Tom or retire“.
One fan was convinced that Jones’ kinship with McGregor was rubbing off, making the heavyweight champ go back to his old ‘goatee’ days. “Another c**aine binge, probably,” they suspected.
Another cocaine binge probably
— CFCsteve (@CFCSTEVE34) April 17, 2025
Jones has publicly admitted to the use of c**aine before fighting Daniel Cormier at UFC 182 in 2015. Meanwhile, McGregor’s antics over the last few years have raised strong suspicions among fans about whether the Irish former champ uses recreational substances.
Jones has not responded to these comments yet, or any other allegations against him, for that matter. The case against him gets stronger, with a UFC heavyweight alumnus joining in to call him out.
Former UFC heavyweight champ asks Jones to be stripped of title
UFC boss Dana White has continued to assure that the Jones-Aspinall fight is going to materialize soon. However, with no signed paper or fight date in sight, there’s a good chance Jones would continue stalling to get as close as possible to the all-time title reign record as heavyweight champion.
As of today, Jones sits far too comfortably at 746 days, having only fought twice in the heavyweight division. He has had one successful title defense against an outgoing 42-year-old Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 last year.
He is still far behind the 896-day reign of Cain Velasquez, but if it continues unchecked, there’s a good chance he will just surpass it and then call it quits.
Meanwhile, Aspinall himself has spent more than 500 days as the division’s interim champion. He won the title at UFC 295 against Sergei Pavlovich in Jones’ absence.
In light of this, former heavyweight champion Josh Barnett has suggested that White should dive into his deep pockets and find whatever sum Jones is asking for the title unification fight with Aspinall.
“Tom being an interim champion is BS. Jon holding onto the title without fighting is also B.S. They need to figure something out”, said Barnett.
Then again, Barnett is skeptical that the sum invested in the Rochester native might not provide enough returns for the UFC if the clash materializes. So the former champ offered the UFC boss an easier way out.
“This is a fight that needs to happen or strip [Jones], to be perfectly honest,” the former UFC champion said.
However, stripping a popular champ like Jones of the title will come with its own set of repercussions, which White would not want. So, a patient wait seems to be the option for not just fans but stakeholders as well.
