Jon Jones claims UFC are 'hiding' plans for Tom Aspinall super-fight

UFC heavyweight champion has been left confused as to why the UFC haven't provided an update on his immediate future.

Jones, who is widely-regarded as the best fighter to ever compete in the UFC, clinched the heavyweight title by overcoming Ciryl Gane earlier in 2023. He's only put his belt on the line once since then with a at 309 last November.

He has since been tipped to fight Tom Aspinall, but fans have been left frustrated given the fact that the blockbuster showdown hasn't been announced yet. For Aspinall, it's been over a year of annoyance after seizing the interim title nearly two years ago from Sergei Pavlovich.

Following an unexpected , Aspinall seems to have grown restless of being the interim champion and now seeks a unification bout with Jones. Despite calls for the clash, Jones has repeatedly shown reluctance over the past few months to engage with Aspinall. UFC boss Dana White has guaranteed fans that the fight will be made official soon. Yet, Jones has blasted the promotion, claiming the UFC hasn't properly "shared" his plans with his fans.

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The ex-light-heavyweight champ is currently occupying his time filming a reality TV series in Thailand. Earlier today, Jones mentioned on that he's shedding pounds during his Asian adventure. Responding to a tweet implying he'll soon be stripped of his title, Jones quipped: "Stripped? Lol, do I come across as the type of person who cares about things like that?"

Another hardcore UFC fanatic suggested that the fighter must be fretting over his title or he would've hung it up by now. "Yall barkin up the wrong tree," Jones clapped back. "I told the UFC my plans a long time ago. I have no clue why they haven't shared them with you guys yet."

Jones sidestepped questions regarding a potential Aspinall bout, focusing instead on his overall strategy: "To continue to monetise on this amazing brand that I've created." During a recent chat with reporter Adam Glyn last week, White provided the latest on Jones' future. "He's fighting. He will be fighting," White confirmed. With an emphatic: "Yes. Absolutely," White assured fans that Jones is slated for a comeback in 2025.

Not missing a chance to take a dig at Jones, his long-time rival Daniel Cormier recently ridiculed Jones' assertion that a heavyweight clash between them would have ended worse than their pair of light heavyweight championship fights. Instead, the UFC legend advised his former foe to turn his attention to Aspinall. "Talking about what you would have done to me seven years ago, five years ago when I retired," Cormier remarked on his channel.

"How about this? I've got a novel idea for you. I'm retired, I'm done, I'm 46, I'm washed up, I'm a broadcaster, I'm a commentator, I am a talking head. How about this novel idea? Fight the dude that's actually wanting to fight. I don't want to fight Jon Jones. I have no desire to fight anyone. But how about fight the dude that's actually waiting to fight you – Tom Aspinall.

"It's not about what may have happened back then. We want to know as the consumer what's going to happen today. Am I afraid of this man? Absolutely not. But I'm not here to fight no more. I'm a broadcaster, but there's a guy that's waiting. There's a guy that's up to his neck in frustrations because he's been waiting for so long. We want to know when's the fight with the guy that actually wants to fight you? It doesn't need to be a hypothetical. You guys can actually answer the question as to who's better between you and Tom."