Jon Jones had the MMA world on edge after teasing a major announcement yesterday. Many assumed it would be confirmation of his highly anticipated fight with interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall. However, Jonny ‘Bones’ threw one of his notorious feints and claimed that his biggest opponent was the American healthcare system.
The issues with the USA’s healthcare have been widely documented. From the extremely high price of essential medicines to insurance companies taking advantage of the sick and their helpless families, it’s a solvable problem that somehow has never been solved. Why?
UFC heavyweight champion Jones blames it on corporate greed. Claiming that insurance companies hide prices upfront and later bombard their clients with exorbitant bills, Jones said,
“Their ‘estimates’ are bullshit, and the corporate greed in American healthcare is breaking people and families across the United States. I’ve seen it countless times in my own community where I have friends, family, and neighbors who are afraid to even get the care they need because the entire system, without real prices upfront, is dishonest and rigged for corporate profit.”
While this may not be a traditional fight for me, it’s obvious that too many Americans are being hurt and forced into medical debt or bankruptcy by a Healthcare System so greedy that hospitals and insurers hide their actual prices so they can charge us whatever they want. Their… pic.twitter.com/pmXJ8Sr6f3
— Jonny Meat (@JonnyBones) February 6, 2025
Jones went on to emphasize that while this fight isn’t the kind he’s used to, he’s happy to take on it since it deeply affects countless Americans. He further pointed out that the healthcare industry’s predatory practices have forced too many of his countrymen into medical debts and bankruptcy. What’s worse is the healthcare system is built to maximize profits rather than provide affordable care, he claims.
Jones’s stance has already sparked widespread discussions, with supporters rallying behind his call for transparency and reform in the healthcare industry.
However, many would have preferred that he make the title unification fight against Aspinall official.
Is Jones ever fighting Aspinall?
Jones has long claimed that at this point in his career, he would rather fight Alex Pereira or Jamahal Hill than take on a hungry young champion like Aspinall. Following his win against Stipe Miocic at UFC 310, he even claimed that the only way he would take the Aspinall fight and unify the title would be if the UFC sent him a big enough cheque.
Since then there have been some short-lived rumors about him asking for $30 million for the Aspinall fight. But otherwise, it has been radio silence from the UFC and the undisputed heavyweight champion.
Jones is considered the greatest of all time in MMA. However, at 38, his powers might be waning. Or at least that’s what the consensus has been amongst a section of his own fanbase. Why else would he take on a 41-year-old Miocic for his first title defense instead of the interim champion?
Meanwhile, his former rival Daniel Cormier believes that the Aspinall fight must happen and Jones must lose. The former double champion asserts it is important for the future of the UFC.
Jones only has a handful of fights in front of him. And once he’s gone, there will be a power vacuum in the heavyweight division. While Aspinall is ready to fill it, Cormier doesn’t think he has the star power to pull it off yet.
Explaining how Aspinall can ascend the throne, Cormier said
“He (Jones) needs to lose. He can’t go and leave this thing undefeated. For Tom Aspinall to become the next big superstar, he has to beat Jon Jones.”
Do you agree? Does Jones need to fight Aspinall? Does Aspinall need to win to become the next superstar? But isn’t it a two-edged sword? What if Aspinall loses to Jones and the champ retires anyway? How does the heavyweight division recover after that?
