Jon Jones has a response for everyone claiming he’s avoiding a fight with Tom Aspinall.
In a recent interview with Kevin Iole, Jones said that the one fight he’s interested in after his heavyweight title clash with Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 would be a champion vs. champion bout with light heavyweight king Alex Pereira. “Bones” was the most successful champion at 205 pounds in the promotion’s history and a bout with Pereira, currently one of the most popular fighters in all of MMA, would undoubtedly draw massive interest.
However, Jones has long been the target of interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall—ranked No. 1 in the division by MMA Fighting—who has already defended his title once while Jones hasn’t even fought since winning his share of the crown in March 2023 (a considerable portion of Jones’ time on the shelf has been spent recovering from a pectoral injury that caused his fight with Miocic to be pushed back an entire year).
A segment of fans and media have been highly critical of Jones not defending against the rightful challenger and Jones took the time to fire back at his critics in a since-deleted tweet.
“I’m going to hide in my mansion and not come outside, people are calling me a duck come on ho my world is over”
“what is this high school? lol”
Shortly after Jones erased that comment from his timeline, he followed up with a longer, more thoughtful response.
As at this point in my career, every decision is rooted in purpose. My journey isn’t dictated by hype or outside opinions—it’s about crafting a legacy that speaks for itself, one step at a time. I’m here to do what’s right for my career and my legacy, with a vision that’s clear…
— BONY (@JonnyBones) November 8, 2024
“As at this point in my career, every decision is rooted in purpose,” Jones wrote. “My journey isn’t dictated by hype or outside opinions—it’s about crafting a legacy that speaks for itself, one step at a time. I’m here to do what’s right for my career and my legacy, with a vision that’s clear and unshakable. Focused, driven, and in complete control of myself. The story continues, and it’s unfolding exactly as I’ve envisioned.”
Jones is already widely hailed as one of the greatest fighters of all time based on his light heavyweight run, which saw him defend his UFC championship 11 times, only losing titles due to outside-of-the-cage issues including a 2015 hit-and-run conviction and a failed drug test in 2016. He added the heavyweight title to his collection with a dominant win over Ciryl Gane at UFC 285.
Update: Aspinall responded to Jones’ interview comments.
