Tag: Jon Jones

Dana White & Jon Jones Share Contradictory Answers On If Aspinall Fight Will Happen After UFC 309

Dana White and Jon Jones recently offered starkly different opinions on whether the much-anticipated fight with Tom Aspinall will come to fruition following UFC 309. Jones is set to make the first defense of his heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic on Nov. 16 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The two were originally […]

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Dana White and Jon Jones recently offered starkly different opinions on whether the much-anticipated fight with Tom Aspinall will come to fruition following UFC 309.

Jones is set to make the first defense of his heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic on Nov. 16 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The two were originally scheduled to face off at UFC 295 in November 2023, but the fight was scrapped at the last minute after “Bones” suffered a torn pectoral muscle.

As a result, Aspinall stepped in to claim the interim heavyweight title with a stunning knockout of Sergei Pavlovich. Since then, the Brit has been outspoken about his desire to face Jones in a title unification bout. However, the former light heavyweight champion has repeatedly brushed off the idea, with the UFC CEO also firmly asserting that Jones’ next challenge will remain Miocic.

Both Jones and Miocic have repeatedly suggested that their upcoming bout could mark the end of their careers. Despite that, in a recent interview with TNT Sports, White expressed his belief that the winner of UFC 309 would likely face Aspinall next.

But during an interview with MMA reporter Kevin Iole, “Bones” outright rejected the notion of facing Aspinall next should he emerge victorious against Miocic next weekend.

Jones argued that the interim heavyweight champion has yet to prove himself worthy of facing him in the Octagon.

“I feel like Tom Aspinall is — I don’t want to say nobody, but he just hasn’t proven anything; he hasn’t done anything. And I understand that, I mean, he won his belt against Sergei, but Sergei just got slaughtered by someone else. So it’s just like, I’m not here to gamble with someone else making a name off of me.”

Jones went on to say that he’s primarily focused on competing against high-profile opponents, those capable of elevating his already storied career. At the moment, reigning UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Alex Pereira is the opponent who piques his interest the most.

“If there were to be a fight with a guy that’s still on our UFC roster that would be not only financially worth it but legacy-worthy, it would be Alex Pereira. Alex Pereira and I are both 37 years old right now. I weigh about 235 [pounds]; I’m an incredibly light heavyweight. I think Pereira walks around at 240, and I think that fight would add much more to my legacy than a young man who’s cool today and maybe gone tomorrow.”

Continue Reading Dana White & Jon Jones Share Contradictory Answers On If Aspinall Fight Will Happen After UFC 309 at MMA News.

Colby Covington Explains Why He’s Rooting For Miocic Over Jones At UFC 309: ‘A Real American With Morals & Values’

Colby Covington is throwing his support behind Stipe Miocic to beat Jon Jones in their upcoming title fight. Jones is set to defend his heavyweight belt against Miocic in the main event of UFC 309, slated for Nov. 16 at New York City’s iconic Madison Square Garden. “Bones” enters the fight as a heavy favorite, […]

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Colby Covington is throwing his support behind Stipe Miocic to beat Jon Jones in their upcoming title fight.

Jones is set to defend his heavyweight belt against Miocic in the main event of UFC 309, slated for Nov. 16 at New York City’s iconic Madison Square Garden.

“Bones” enters the fight as a heavy favorite, with many MMA analysts predicting he’ll dominate the former champion with ease. However, Covington has offered a contrasting view, believing that Miocic is poised to deliver a stunning upset.

During a recent interview with Submission Radio, “Chaos” was asked to predict the UFC 309 headliner. The former interim welterweight champion commended Miocic’s relentless work ethic while casting aspersions on Jones, pointing to his turbulent past as a reason he believes “Bones” is unworthy of the victory.

“Stipe is a great American; he’s a patriot,” Covington said. “He’s a first responder, and the guy’s a hard worker. He’s managed being a firefighter while being a UFC champion. I mean, to have a double life like that is just so impressive, and I can only imagine his work ethic. So I’m really rooting for a real American, a guy that has morals and values — something that Jon lacks.

“He [Jones] has no morals and values; he’s a terrible person. He’s beaten his wife, he’s had multiple drug challenges, terrible steroid charges, so he’s not a good person. He doesn’t deserve to win, so I’m rooting for Stipe, and I hope he gets it done.”

Jones and Miocic were originally scheduled to clash at UFC 295 in November 2023. The fight was unexpectedly called off when the reigning champion sustained a torn pectoral muscle just weeks before the event.

The New Yorker claimed the heavyweight title with a first-round submission victory over Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 in March 2023. Meanwhile, Miocic has been out of action for over three years. His last appearance came at UFC 260 in March 2021, where he was knocked out by Francis Ngannou, costing him the championship.

Continue Reading Colby Covington Explains Why He’s Rooting For Miocic Over Jones At UFC 309: ‘A Real American With Morals & Values’ at MMA News.

CSAC Director Supports Overturning Jon Jones’ Controversial Loss

Jon Jones might finally see the sole blemish on his otherwise flawless record erased, with California State Athletic Commission executive director Andy Foster voicing his backing for this change. “Bones” one loss in his 29-fight MMA career came against Matt Hamill at The Ultimate Fighter Season 10 Finale in December 2009. Despite overwhelming Hamill throughout […]

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Jon Jones might finally see the sole blemish on his otherwise flawless record erased, with California State Athletic Commission executive director Andy Foster voicing his backing for this change.

“Bones” one loss in his 29-fight MMA career came against Matt Hamill at The Ultimate Fighter Season 10 Finale in December 2009. Despite overwhelming Hamill throughout the first round, Jones was disqualified for delivering a then-illegal 12-6 elbow.

Jones, with longstanding support from UFC CEO Dana White, has made numerous attempts over the years to overturn his disputed loss, though each effort has fallen short. Recently, however, the Association of Boxing Commissions and Combative Sports lifted the ban on 12-6 elbow strikes, with the revised rules taking effect last weekend at UFC Fight Night in Edmonton.

A faint ray of hope appears to be emerging for the UFC heavyweight champion as Foster, one of the key advocates behind the legalization of the once-banned strike, has now stepped forward to support Jones in his quest to have the loss overturned.

During a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, the Athletic Commission director expressed his dissatisfaction with how the ruling was handled at the time, suggesting that the outcome could have been changed to a no contest rather than a DQ.

“The rule is what it was then; it’s different now. It would be hard to go back…I’d be actually supportive of getting rid of [his loss], but it’s not my decision. … I didn’t like the way it was enforced back then, but that was 14 years ago,” Foster said. “I think there were — look, we’re talking about 14 years later. At the time, I thought there were other ways you could handle that situation rather than flat giving the guy a loss.”

Although Foster is a staunch supporter of “Bones” having his loss overturned, the final decision rests with the Nevada State Athletic Commission. However, they have consistently declined to make any changes since 2009.

After a hiatus of over a year, Jones is preparing for his return to the Octagon, where he will defend his heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic in the headliner of UFC 309. The eagerly anticipated clash is scheduled to take place at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Nov. 16.

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Francis Ngannou’s Coach Breaks Down How He Would Game Plan For Jon Jones

Unfortunately, it looks like the biggest fight in the heavyweight division across MMA may never happen. The prospect of seeing Jon Jones move up to heavyweight to face Francis Ngannou was one of the most talked about fights that we didn’t get to see when both men were in the UFC. Unfortunately, Jones debuting in […]

Continue Reading Francis Ngannou’s Coach Breaks Down How He Would Game Plan For Jon Jones at MMA News.

Unfortunately, it looks like the biggest fight in the heavyweight division across MMA may never happen. The prospect of seeing Jon Jones move up to heavyweight to face Francis Ngannou was one of the most talked about fights that we didn’t get to see when both men were in the UFC.

Unfortunately, Jones debuting in his new weight class saw him win the vacant title that was left behind when Ngannou departed the promotion and signed to the PFL. Though this super fight between champions is something that the PFL is very keen on, it seems incredibly unlikely that a deal will ever take place between the two promotions.

It’s still going to be used as a talking point for fans for many years to come and in a recent interview with Kevin Iole, Ngannou’s coach spoke about how he would have tried to approach the fight if it had happened inside the Octagon. Eric Nicksick broke down where he believes they would have had success in the fight.

Like many would assume, competing against the consensus greatest of all time in a technical back-and-forth would not have been the desired strategy for the Xtreme Couture head coach.

“I definitely think you had to put Jon on his back foot, you had to put pressure on him, you had to put him up against the corner post and you couldn’t get in a technical fight with Jon and you couldn’t allow him to dictate the hand play right, where he starts to occupy your hands and that’s a slow paced type of fight where Jon is very technical there and he starts to pick you apart with elbows and the clinch and the knees and the things that he does so well.

“For me, I thought we got to get this guy on his back foot and we got to apply pressure right away and make it an ugly fight, don’t make it a technical fight. You’re going to have to make this grimy and try to get out of there, try to get him out of there in the first two-three rounds. I think the longer a fight would have gone between him and Francis, it would have favored more Jon and that was where I felt like if we put a game plan on him, we were going to have to put the pace on him.”

Continue Reading Francis Ngannou’s Coach Breaks Down How He Would Game Plan For Jon Jones at MMA News.

Francis Ngannou’s Coach Breaks Down How He Would Game Plan For Jon Jones

Unfortunately, it looks like the biggest fight in the heavyweight division across MMA may never happen. The prospect of seeing Jon Jones move up to heavyweight to face Francis Ngannou was one of the most talked about fights that we didn’t get to see when both men were in the UFC. Unfortunately, Jones debuting in […]

Continue Reading Francis Ngannou’s Coach Breaks Down How He Would Game Plan For Jon Jones at MMA News.

Unfortunately, it looks like the biggest fight in the heavyweight division across MMA may never happen. The prospect of seeing Jon Jones move up to heavyweight to face Francis Ngannou was one of the most talked about fights that we didn’t get to see when both men were in the UFC.

Unfortunately, Jones debuting in his new weight class saw him win the vacant title that was left behind when Ngannou departed the promotion and signed to the PFL. Though this super fight between champions is something that the PFL is very keen on, it seems incredibly unlikely that a deal will ever take place between the two promotions.

It’s still going to be used as a talking point for fans for many years to come and in a recent interview with Kevin Iole, Ngannou’s coach spoke about how he would have tried to approach the fight if it had happened inside the Octagon. Eric Nicksick broke down where he believes they would have had success in the fight.

Like many would assume, competing against the consensus greatest of all time in a technical back-and-forth would not have been the desired strategy for the Xtreme Couture head coach.

“I definitely think you had to put Jon on his back foot, you had to put pressure on him, you had to put him up against the corner post and you couldn’t get in a technical fight with Jon and you couldn’t allow him to dictate the hand play right, where he starts to occupy your hands and that’s a slow paced type of fight where Jon is very technical there and he starts to pick you apart with elbows and the clinch and the knees and the things that he does so well.

“For me, I thought we got to get this guy on his back foot and we got to apply pressure right away and make it an ugly fight, don’t make it a technical fight. You’re going to have to make this grimy and try to get out of there, try to get him out of there in the first two-three rounds. I think the longer a fight would have gone between him and Francis, it would have favored more Jon and that was where I felt like if we put a game plan on him, we were going to have to put the pace on him.”

Continue Reading Francis Ngannou’s Coach Breaks Down How He Would Game Plan For Jon Jones at MMA News.

Daniel Cormier: ‘Sharpest Businessman’ Dana White Can Make Jon Jones vs. Francis Ngannou

Francis Ngannou couldn’t have had a better return to MMA as he knocked out Renan Ferreira in the first round to win the PFL heavyweight championship on October 19, 2024. Jon Jones, on the other hand, is finally returning to the Octagon against Stipe Miocic on November 16, 2024. Ngannou was the UFC heavyweight kingpin […]

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Francis Ngannou couldn’t have had a better return to MMA as he knocked out Renan Ferreira in the first round to win the PFL heavyweight championship on October 19, 2024. Jon Jones, on the other hand, is finally returning to the Octagon against Stipe Miocic on November 16, 2024.

Ngannou was the UFC heavyweight kingpin before Jones moved up to the division. Many fans eagerly wanted to see them fight, but before anything could materialize, Ngannou left the UFC and signed with the PFL. He also boxed in high-profile matchups against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.

“The Predator” was recently asked on The Ariel Helwani Show if he could still fight “Bones”. The lineal heavyweight MMA champion claimed that the superfight is not completely off the table and that figures like Turki Alalshikh might play a role in it.

Alalshikh, as the head of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, has helped organize several major combat sports events over the last few years.

Daniel Cormier reviewed Ngannou’s statements on his YouTube channel recently. He admitted that White’s rocky relationship with the PFL champ is a problem, but Riyadh Season’s inclusion could shake things up.

The former UFC champ mentioned that Riyadh Season sponsoring UFC 306 was a huge development, and might have laid the foundation for crossovers like Jones vs. Ngannou.

“Dana does not like Francis, that is a massive problem. Massive problem. But hell, when in the world do you put that over business. I don’t know that he will, he’s one of the smartest, sharpest businessman you’ve ever met. If the dollars make sense, the fight could potentially happen,” DC continued. “If Francis is to be believed, and Francis has had these conversations, we’re now entering a world where multiple partnerships already established in this realm. ESPN UFC, ESPN PFL, Riyadh Season UFC. Ladies and gentleman, maybe, just maybe, we get that fight.”

DC also believes White is smart enough to put personal differences aside for a lucrative business opportunity. He isn’t sure that Ngannou and Jones will fight in MMA, but he’s not ruling out the possibility entirely.

Continue Reading Daniel Cormier: ‘Sharpest Businessman’ Dana White Can Make Jon Jones vs. Francis Ngannou at MMA News.