DANA WHITE is confident UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones will stick around to fight Tom Aspinall.
Brit Aspinall put himself on course for a historic showdown with the pound-for-pound great by winning the interim heavyweight title last November.
But undisputed titleholder Jones has hinted he’ll RETIRE after his November showdown with former champion Stipe Miocic.
Jones has repeatedly played down Aspinall’s credentials on social media, although White believes the competitor inside the Hall-of-Famer will want to test himself against the Wigan warrior.
Speaking after the latest instalment of Dana White‘s Contenders Series, he said: “So Jon is a very unique individual to deal with.
“Jon Jones will fight everybody.
“Jon Jones was absolutely — he wanted Francis [Ngannou]! You saw what happened with Ciryl Gane.
“He will tell you like he told us that he would do the same thing to Francis Ngannou. He wanted that fight so bad.
“And for anybody who thinks — I know the whole internet, ‘Oh Jon Jones!’ that I’m up Jon Jones’s a**, these are f***ing facts. Facts.
“And since everybody has been such d*****bag about this, I’m coming out with a nice little punch in the face for all you f*****s that think Jon Jones isn’t the greatest of all time.
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“Dislike him, whatever your beef is with Jon Jones, knock yourself out.
“There’s no way in hell that Jon Jones doesn’t want to fight Aspinall. That I guarantee you.”
Just this week, Jones hinted that he’ll bring the curtain down on his historic career at Madison Square Garden.
He wrote on X: “I had already voiced that I wasn’t interested in any more randoms.
“Now magically I’m ducking a fight that’s never been negotiated or discussed at any table that matters.
“Lol I’m sticking to my plans, Jon Jones jumps for no one. How many belts does one need? How many times do I have to break my own record?
“There are fighters literally all over the world that think in the back of their mind I can beat Jon Jones.
“There will be no statues of you. Go out and win more, make your name greater, that is the only way you do it.
“I’m 37 years old now, I’ve kicked everyone’s ass.
“My job is to finish strong and make an amazing movie and go join Tom Brady, Floyd Mayweather, and all the other retired bad asses.”
Jones hasn’t fought since claiming the heavyweight crown with a first-round blitz of Gane at UFC 285 last March.
Aspinall, meanwhile, defended his interim title in July with a 60-second stoppage of Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304.
