While Jon Jones is undoubtedly one of the GOATs Ultimate Fighting Championship [UFC], he has put his legacy in the way of the entire heavyweight division for two years to fight Stipe Miocic, who hasn’t fought since 2021 where he lost to Francis Ngannou.
I’m not saying Miocic is a pushover, cause he’s anything but. He’s arguably the greatest heavyweight ever and has the most title defenses of anyone the division has ever seen, but that was many years ago. He is now pushing 41 as a retired fighter, while Jones has still yet to lose his step in the UFC even with his inactivity.
When I first heard that Jones was still on track to fight Stipe, I was surprised. I thought that the interim champ, Tom Aspinall, was the obvious first choice. However, I think this is where Jon Jones’ ego and legacy take over. Wanting a fight that would hopefully give him a large sum of money and send him off into retirement with a win over an all time great opponent.
As a fan of Tom Aspinall, I see why Jones wouldn’t fight him. It does very little for his legacy and is a huge loss if Aspinall found a way to win. But, I just don’t agree with nothing happening in the heavyweight division. Every other division in the UFC has had a title fight in the past year, except heavyweight division. This July at UFC 304, Aspinall will defend his interim title before Jones defends the undisputed title. This should never happen in the UFC, no matter who’s fighting. For reference, Connor McGregor was stripped of his lightweight title for inactivity after 504 days, and for Jones, UFC 304 will mark that 504th day, while he’s still scheduled to come back 4 months later.
I have always felt that champs should have to defend their titles at least twice a year, (barring an injury or setback) which Jones did face when he tore his pec back in November. However, it’s not an excuse to hold back a division so someone can ride off into the sunset on their high horse, which is what Jones plans to do, ducking the interim champ, Aspinall, in the process.
While he may be one of the greatest fighters the UFC and world has ever seen, it’s not hard to see that he has backed up the heavyweight division for years, and will continue to avoid the interim champ until his legacy fight happens and he can retire.
