Jon Jones vs Stipe Miocic was supposed to be one of the biggest fights of the year in 2023. The prospect of the best light heavyweight of all time, taking on the best heavyweight of all time had fans ecstatic. However, as it happens often in the UFC, an injury to Jones meant that the fight could not go ahead. The UFC therefore, had to book an interim title fight between Tom Aspinal and Sergei Pavlovich.
At UFC 295, Jon Jones had the chance to further cement his status as the greatest of all time. Miocic is the consensus greatest heavyweight champion of all time in the UFC. Following his win at UFC 295, Tom Aspinall called for Jon Jones to be stripped. The Brit argued that in most cases when a champion is out for a long duration, they are usually stripped. This demand did not sit well with Jones who took to Twitter to bash Tom Aspinall. In response to his tweet, Aspinall apologised to Jones.
“I’ve faced the absolute toughest competition this world had to offer for 15 years now. During camp for a title defense I sustained a major injury that required surgery for the first time in my career. Now I have newcomers requesting I get my championship stripped. Zero wins over legends, zero title defenses and already thinking you can call the shots to Dana, that’s hilarious. In my 15 year career I have seen so many guys who are supposed to be the next big thing. There’s ever only been one Jon Jones, never forget that.”
You’re right. Sorry Jon https://t.co/6JWgipi7Eg
— Tom Aspinall (@AspinallMMA) December 5, 2023
In a recent press conferences, Dana White repeatedly stated that Jones will not be stripped. He added that the fight between Jones and Miocic has to happen and that the winner would face Aspinall. With that being said, does stripping Jon Jones make sense? Let’s take a closer look.
Tom Aspinall to take on the winner of Jon Jones vs Stipe Miocic.
Aspinall won the recent interim title fight at UFC 295 in the most dominant way possible. He is now set to face the winner of Jon Jones vs Stipe Miocic. Given Jones’ injury he will most likely return to action in the second half of 2024.
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This means that Aspinall will have to wait almost a year on the sidelines before he is able to fight again, assuming the winner of Jones vs Miocic does not sustain any serious injuries. There is a very strong chance that the UFC will not allow this to happen. Instead, the UFC might strip Jon Jones and set up a vacant title fight between Miocic and Aspinall.
