Will Jon Jones ever fight Tom Aspinall? The Brit has now held the interim heavyweight title for over 535 days—surpassing Renan Barao’s record to become the longest-reigning interim champion in UFC history. Fans want the fight. The UFC wants the fight. Yet Jon Jones is in the wind. The Heavyweight champion was finally sighted chilling in Thailand, and the visuals have invited the ire of the fans.

Jon Jones is in Thailand chilling with his buddies. However, what’s concerning is a video circulating online that shows Jon Jones riding on the back of a moped, with someone else driving it. Why is it concerning, you ask? It’s because ‘Bones’ appeared, well, not himself. All of this behaviour at a time when Dana White is struggling to find a headlining event for UFC 317 did not sit well with fans.

And why is he in Thailand? For training? Certainly not. Recently, the heavyweight champion announced that he would be coaching alongside Nate Diaz in a Russian Spin-off of The Ultimate Fighter reality show, and the event will take place in Thailand. All of this while Aspinall is reportedly gearing up for a second interim-title fight defense (if you can believe it), against Ciryl Gane.

Are we about to witness Tom Aspinall defend his interim heavyweight title for the second time? Aspinall successfully defended his title last year at UFC 304 when he faced Curtis Blaydes, knocking him out in the very first round. Now, it seems that another title defense may be on the horizon—at least, that’s what Din Thomas believes.

While having a conversation with Mike Bohn, Thomas revealed, “If I had to put my money on it, I think they convinced Tom Aspinall to fight Ciryl Gane. Tom wants to fight. He’ll be like, ‘Alright, I’ll fight.’ I think they’ll throw a number at Ciryl Gane. It won’t be ideal for him, but they’ll throw a number that he can’t refuse, and he’ll have to take it. I think it makes more sense that way.” 

Jon Jones last stepped into the Octagon at UFC 309, where he faced former two-time heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic. It’s been months since that fight, and in a perfect world, the UFC would have booked a bout between Jones and Tom Aspinall long ago — but we don’t live in that world.

‘Bones’ has been one of the biggest stars in the promotion, but at the same time, he has also been a major headache for UFC CEO Dana White. The UFC anti-trust revelations have brought to light internal communications that reveal a contentious relationship between Dana White and Jon Jones. Back when he was the UFC light-heavyweight champion, when the UFC wanted to book Jones against Alexander Gustafsson, he denied the fight. Why? Jones preferred to fight Daniel Cormier and was seeking improved contract terms.

Jon Jones has always been a challenge for the promotion, but they can’t let him go because he’s one of the UFC’s biggest stars. Regardless, as footage of his recent antics emerged, fans stormed social media to call him out for his behavior.

Fans demand Tom Aspinall fight after visuals of Jon Jones in Thailand

Should Jon Jones be stripped of his UFC title? Many within the MMA community believe the UFC should have done this months ago — and even fans are beginning to echo that sentiment.“Time to strip and move on.” But, how feasible is this move? Well, stripping Jon Jones of the belt would put an end to the Tom Aspinall vs. Jon Jones super fight speculation, a risk that the UFC is not willing to take. Especially at a time when there’s an MMA recession, as per Ariel Helwani.

Furthermore, another social media user called out to the heavyweight champ to deal with the Briton, “Bro needs to fight tommy asap.” It must be noted that if Jones doesn’t agree to fight Aspinall soon, the hype surrounding their potential clash could eventually fade — a serious threat for the UFC. Chael Sonnen, in his statement, expressed, “his fight is losing steam. Now, generally when you get a big fight that people want to see and at the night of Madison Square Garden, I think it was the biggest fight [in] our industry anyway you want to do it. The biggest fight our industry could produce was Tom [Aspinall] vs. Jon [Jones]. I will just tell you by the numbers, it is losing steam.”

Is Jon Jones ducking Tom Aspinall? While the answer to that question may vary from person to person, a large number of fans firmly believe he is indeed avoiding the Briton, given the significant threat Aspinall poses. Looking at this, a fan added, “Ducking Tom Aspinall.”

Furthermore, another fan was confused and asked what Jones was doing in the Southeast Asian country. “hmm wonder why he’s in Thailand?” As mentioned above, he is there for an MMA reality show. Furthermore, Jones was again called out for halting the UFC heavyweight division: “Bro went all the way across the world to avoid Tom.” 

Last but not least, a social media user emphasized that Jones might not be interested in UFC 315, “I take it he’s not interested in the Belal vs JDM fight then?”

The MMA reality show will go on for weeks, and now it’s certain that Jones might not fight Aspinall for at least a few months. So, what’s next? Share your thoughts in the comments below.