‘Not Really Fighting’: Fans Rip Dana White & ESPN as Outrage Overshadows Jon Jones’ Historic Record Amidst Aspinall Fight Delay

Last week, Jon Jones went past Stipe Miocic’s 784-day record as the UFC heavyweight champion. But while Miocic defended his title four times in the same period and against top contenders like Daniel Cormier, Francis Ngannou and Alistair Overeem, Jones has only fought once since winning the title back in 2023.

On top of that, he has continued to evade the interim champion, who, himself, has had the belt for more than 500 days and has even defended it, as ridiculous as that may sound. But while the UFC brass has let him stall the heavyweight division, fans seem to have had enough.

So, earlier today, when ESPN MMA released a stat that said Jones now has the second longest undisputed heavyweight title reign in UFC history at 785 days, behind only Cain Velasquez’s reign of 896 days, there was some much-needed backlash.

“Helps that’s he’s not really fighting” one fan quipped, expressing the general disappointment in the UFC heavyweight champion. Meanwhile, another accused the UFC boss of not doing enough to hold the Rochester native accountable.

“Dana log off the espn account bro, you ain’t foolin no one,” joked a Twitter user, while another reiterated the sentiment and added, “ESPN MMA’s newest admin, Dana White”. 

Others also questioned the point of this stat when the division has been put on hold since Ngannou left the promotion in 2023.

“This is actually a terrible flex… Jones has 1 title defense against the ghost of Stipe while still ducking the interim champion”, remarked a fan.

“What’s legendary about this reign? He defended the belt against retired Stipe and is ducking one true contender. Paper Champ”, pointed out another.

But while fans continue to ponder the point of this stat, ‘Bones‘ himself is proud of it. The UFC heavyweight champion it on his Instagram story- either oblivious or apathetic to the criticism around it.

Jones flexes the 2nd-longest heavyweight title reign

This isn’t the first time Jones has broken such a record, he also holds the record for the longest light-heavyweight title reign. This is a record that he can be proud of, and one that will be very hard to beat. He held the title for 1501 days and defended his belt a whopping 8 times.

In comparison, his heavyweight title reign looks rather bleak. But Jones doesn’t seem to care. “What they gon’ say now”, he bragged. Well, as as seen above, fans have a lot to say about the state of affairs.

Some are even claiming that he has been more active on social media than in the octagon. So if anything, he should be breaking the record for the most inactive champion in the history of the UFC.

Considering Jones’s history, his story could have been a ploy to get the fans talking about him, some good old-fashioned rage bait.