- UFC great Jon Jones has admitted he does not care about fighting at the moment
- The 37-year-old American has continued to stall on a fight with Tom Aspinall
UFC star Jon Jones has admitted that he has no interest in fighting as he continues to stall on a bout with Tom Aspinall.
The former UFC light heavyweight champion, who boasts a 28-1 career record, won the vacant heavyweight title in March 2023.
But the 37-year-old has not fought since defending his heavyweight title in November against Stipe Miocic.
The future of the heavyweight division remains uncertain as he continues to delay a fight with Aspinall.
Aspinall has held the interim belt for 18 months but a unification fight between the two is yet to materialise.
The delay has led a number of fighters to call for Jones to be stripped of his title.
But the American brushed off criticism and revealed he is not currently interested in fighting.
‘I don’t want to say that I’m retired because fighting is in my blood,’ he told the Full Send Podcast.
‘Right now, I could really care less about fighting…
‘When the itch comes back, if it comes back, then I’ll do it with my whole heart.
UFC chief Dana White previously said that Jones had agreed to fight Aspinall but they were awaiting paperwork.
He now appears to have lost patience with the American and has set a deadline for the star to arrange the fight, which White described as the ‘biggest heavyweight fight in UFC history’.
‘If we can’t get this fight done, we’ll move on quickly. We’ll have answers in the next couple weeks,’ he said.
Jones holds the record for the most wins in UFC, with 16 and is typically regarded as one of the best fighters ever.
He has previously teased retirement, saying that Aspinall ‘does nothing for his legacy’.
Meanwhile, Aspinall has not fought since defending his interim belt against Curtis Blaydes last July.
If a fight materialises, it will most likely take place in New York in November or Las Vegas in December.
Other fighters have hit out at Jones’ delaying, with Blaydes saying he should be stripped of his title.
‘If he doesn’t fight I would like him to be stripped. We all get it. He’s the GOAT, he’s great, but if you’re not going to be active, what are you doing holding the belt?’ said Blaydes.
‘I get what he’s doing. He enjoys this. He enjoys his name being talked about. I’m over it already.’
Almost 200,000 fans have also signed a petition calling for him to lose his UFC heavyweight title.
