Jon Jones is adamant he’s not bothered by the notion he’s avoiding a fight with interim UFC champ Tom Aspinall.
Ahead of his return from a more than 20-month layoff Saturday against Stipe Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) in the UFC 309 main event at Madison Square Garden in New York (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPNews, ESPN+), heavyweight champ Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) has been bombarded with questions about a unification matchup with Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) in the future.
Jones has made it clear he’s becoming “annoyed” with Aspinall and said the Brit has “done nothing” to convince him the matchup is worth extending his retirement time. Additionally, Jones said if he’s going to stick around the sport, the only matchup of interest would be against current light heavyweight champ Alex Pereira.
The nature and tone of his comments has generated immense frustration in the MMA community and led many fans to claim Jones is “ducking” Aspinall. That’s only provided entertainment to Jones, who hopped on Instagram Live on Saturday and said he won’t let the drama alter his mentality.
“I see quite a few people in here calling me a duck,” Jones said (H/T: Championship Rounds on X). “I’m a duck. Call me a duck. Call me a chicken. Call me a GOAT. Call me a dog. I’m not in high school anymore, guys. Grown man out here chasing his dreams. It’s funny that we really live in a world where being called a duck should affect me. Guys, come on.”
Jon Jones responds to people calling him a ‘duck’ on IG live:
“Call me a duck, call me a chicken, call me a GOAT… I’m not in high school anymore guys. Grown man out here chasing his dreams.”#UFC309 #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/uszFQIYmmt
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) November 10, 2024
Jones, 37, hasn’t competed since he won the vacant heavyweight belt with a quick submission of Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 in March 2023. That fight marked his return from a more than three-year layoff, and “Bones” has been honest throughout the process that his career is coming to an end, but the number of fights left will be determined by his performances.
Aspinall claimed the interim belt with a fast knockout of Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295 in November. He wanted the Jones fight after that, but also picked up a rare interim title defense in July when he knocked out Curtis Blayes in 60 seconds to avenge his only octagon defeat (which was the product of an in-fight injury).
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.
