It sounds as if a deadline has been put into play by the UFC and boss Dana White when it comes to getting Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall together at the table.
Jones, the reigning UFC heavyweight champion, and Aspinall, who holds the interim title, have been waiting on the sidelines as work continues to get them to agree to a unification match. Both fighters have made remarks in public, but it now sounds like White is set to move on.
“I don’t know, we’ll see how this thing plays out over the next couple of weeks,” White said on Jim Rome recently. “If we can’t get it done, we’ll move quickly.”
White added that he hopes to have “answers in the next couple weeks.”
Jones returned from an extended layoff due to an injury in November, finishing Stipe Miocic. The win broke the UFC record for most title defenses in history at 12, as he improved to 28-1 overall.
Back in 2023, Jones made his heavyweight debut, adding the belt to his collection that includes the UFC light heavyweight crown.
Aspinall claimed the interim title in November 2023 with a knockout of Sergei Pavlovich. The two replaced the planned Jones-Miocic match at UFC 295.
It was almost a full year ago that Aspinall last fought, as he defended the interim belt with a first round finish of Curtis Blaydes. He is 15-3 overall and has won three in a row.
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