"No way no earth that he's going to fight me" - When Tom Aspinall called Jon Jones’s retirement a year before it happened

Tom Aspinall had previously predicted that he would retire Jon Jones, without ever having to face him inside the octagon.

Aspinall captured the interim heavyweight title in 2023 and proceeded to defend it once against Curtis Blaydes in the following year. He had been sitting on the sidelines since, waiting for the title unification bout against Jones to materialize. However, Jones's repeated refusal to fight caused significant delays, impacting the trajectory of the heavyweight division.

'Bones' has now decided to hang up his gloves after enjoying a lustrous career in the UFC, spanning over 16 years. His retirement was announced by UFC head honcho Dana White, who stated during the UFC Baku post-fight press conference that Jones had called the UFC to inform of his decision to retire. The UFC CEO further confirmed that Aspinall had been automatically promoted to undisputed status.

Aspinall appeared on the BelieveYouMePodcast a year ago, where he successfully predicted Jones' retirement. He said:

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"There is no way on Earth that he's going to fight me, not a chance. I will retire Jon Jones without even fighting him."

Check out Tom Aspinall's comments below:

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Tom Aspinall vows to be an active undisputed champion

Tom Aspinall shared his reaction to being crowned the undisputed heavyweight champion amid Jon Jones' retirement.

Aspinall had long voiced his desire to remain an active fighter. However, the situation involving Jones had derailed his plans. With 'Bones' out of the title picture now, Aspinall would be eager to face other contenders in the division.

The Englishman shared a post on Instagram, stating that it is now time for the division to move forward and vowed to be an active, undisputed UFC champion. He wrote:

"For you fans. It's time to get this heavyweight division going🔥. An active undisputed champion👊."

Check out the post below:

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Edited by Shehryar Edibam