“Bones” has finally gotten honest.
Jon Jones finally returns to defend his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight title at UFC 309 this weekend (Sat., Nov. 16, 2024) against Stipe Miocic, in a legacy-defining showdown that will take place inside the legendary Madison Square Garden in New York City.
During UFC 309 media day (watch here), Jones finally admitted why he doesn’t want to fight the UFC interim Heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall after this weekend.
“If I’m being completely honest, I feel like Tom has been such an asshole that I don’t want to do business with him,” Jones told reporters. “His fans have been so annoying, and obviously don’t get this far in a career being affected by fans and whatnot, but he’s just an asshole. You know, he’s 30, so he’s from this influencer generation where you hop online and with t-shirt sales and all that. I’m past that kind of stuff.
“I’m like, bro if you had a little bit more respect, then maybe we could have worked something out, but I just don’t want to do business with him,” Jones continued. “At the end of the day, this is a business, and fighting me gives him the chance to change his life forever, and I don’t want to give him the opportunity. He played his cards wrong with me personally. I’m three years from being a 40-year-old grown man – you know, going through a press conference with him, the whole shebang- it’s something I’d rather not do. Now, Pereira, on the other side – respectfully, cool, barely says much – I’ll do business with you.”
It is very refreshing to hear Jones being honest about his thoughts on Aspinall and admitting that the British fighter got under his skin—even though, compared to trash talk, Aspinall didn’t say anything close to controversial or asshole-like (well, his latest YouTube video might come off that way).
Unless Jones changes his mind after this fight with Miocic on Saturday, this might just be the final nail in the coffin for a potential Jones vs. Aspinall super fight.
I guess we better get ready for an Alex Pereira vs. Jones BMF title fight in 2025.
Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 309 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET (simulcast on ESPNews at 8 p.m. ET), before the pay-per-view (PPV) main card start time at 10 p.m. ET (also on ESPN+).
To check out the latest and greatest UFC 309: “Jones vs. Miocic” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.