Tom Aspinall has finally gotten his dream come true. But perhaps not in the manner he would have liked to. In what was a shocker, Jon Jones announced his retirement from the sport. Aspinall has been waiting to face Jones for over a year now. Unfortunately, after a lot of deliberation, the fight did not materialize. And in a surprising announcement, the UFC has now crowned Aspinall as the undisputed heavyweight champion.
In a recent statement Ariel Helwani shed more light into the situation. According to Helwani, Jones initially demanded a lot of money. And while the UFC was not on board with it right away, they eventually did accept Jones’ demands. Unfortunately, after a couple of days, Jones declined the offer once again.
“Jon Jones asked for a lot of money… after much negotiation, the UFC got him that money, and Jon Jones said he was in. Then a couple days later, he said he was out. Ever since then, the UFC has been trying to convince him to come back, and he said no… [The UFC] have known for quite some time, for several months, that he was out,” said Helwani.
🗣️ "Jon Jones asked for a lot of money… after much negotiation, the UFC got him that money, and Jon Jones said he was in. Then a couple days later, he said he was out. Ever since then, the UFC has been trying to convince him to come back, and he said no…
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) June 22, 2025
[The UFC] have known… pic.twitter.com/mROMHYBwTo
Well, Jones retiring is one of the biggest news in the MMA world at the moment. He has been one of the longest reigning heavyweight champions in UFC history. Now, with Aspinall on the hotseat, it is up to him to carry forward the legacy. Meanwhile, with all the deliberations going on, several UFC stars felt Jones must accept the fight. And Alexander Volkanovski was one of them.
Alexander Volkanovski Urged Jon Jones To Take Up The Tom Aspinall Challenge
It was a long deliberation between the two. While Jones constantly denied facing Aspinall, few of the UFC stars could not help but express their opinions. Similarly, Alexander Volkanovski felt that Jones must fight Aspinall. ‘Volk’ stated that fighting the interim champion will justify his title reign.
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“If you’re the champ, you defend your belt — it’s a responsibility. You need to be reasonably active. If you’ve got an interim champ, that’s a no-brainer. Don’t hold up the division. I know your résumé is incredible, you’re considered the GOAT. So if you don’t want to fight, just retire,” said Volkanovski.
Alexander Volkanovski urges Jon Jones to show the responsibility of a true champion 🏆
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) June 14, 2025
"If you're the champ, you defend your belt — it's a responsibility. You need to be reasonably active. If you've got an interim champ, that's a no-brainer. Don't hold up the division. I know… pic.twitter.com/VofyXtBtWr
Now, with things taking a new turn in the heavyweight division, it remains to be seen how the situation pans out.
Also Read: Former UFC Double Champion Goes Off On Jon Jones For His Reluctance To Sign Up For A Fight
