UFC President Dana White has delivered a firm update regarding the much-anticipated heavyweight matchup between Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall.
Despite being in development since last November, the heavyweight title unification bout has still not been finalized.
Recently, former three-time UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen controversially claimed that a date for this major fight had been “AGREED.”
White promptly refuted Sonnen`s assertion, stating definitively last weekend: “Everything you hear is bulls**t until we say it.”
The persistent delay in confirming the fight has led many MMA fans to question whether Jones and Aspinall will ultimately face each other in the octagon.
However, White remains confident that the two fighters, Jones (37) and Aspinall (32), will indeed compete.
He reiterated his position: “I’ve said it many times, that’s the fight we want to make this year. [I`m] still super confident [it happens].”
White also repeated his long-held belief about the significance of the potential bout, stating: “I`ve said since Day one that this would be the biggest heavyweight fight in the history of the company and the history of the sport.”
He added: “This will be a big one.”
Middleweight Division Update
In addition, White provided clarity on the middleweight title picture, confirming that undefeated prospect Khamzat Chimaev is set to face champion Dricus Du Plessis later this year.
Regarding the middleweight fight, White confirmed: “We all know that fight is happening, the Du Plessis vs Khamzat fight. It’s happening, it’s just not happening [at] International Fight Week. That fight is done. It’s just not happening on that one [UFC 317].”
Jon Jones, a Hall-of-Famer and former light heavyweight champion, has not fought since securing a spectacular spinning back kick knockout victory over Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 in November.
Meanwhile, Tom Aspinall last saw action in July at UFC 304 in Manchester, where he rapidly defeated Curtis Blaydes in 60 seconds, successfully avenging his 2022 loss to the American.
Elton Marrow