Jon Jones laughs off ‘number one contender’ co-main between Tom Aspinall and Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304
On July 27 Tom Aspinall will join the very short list of fighters who have defended a UFC interim world championship — and Jon Jones couldn’t be more amused by it.
As announced by Dana White, Aspinall will put his interim heavyweight crown on the line when he co-headlines UFC 304 against No. 4 ranked contender Curtis Blaydes in Manchester, England.
The UK-based star will be just the third fighter to defend an interim belt in UFC history, the first being Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 92. The last man to do it was Renan Barao who defended his temporary title on two separate occasions in 2013 before being promoted to undisputed bantamweight champion.
Learning of the news, reigning undisputed heavyweight king Jon Jones couldn’t help, but poke some fun at the announcement on social media, calling it nothing more than an “official number one contender” fight.
“Curtis versus Tom for the official number one contender spot!” Jones wrote on X in response to the news of Aspinall vs. Blaydes.
Jon Jones confirms date for his controversial clash with Stipe miocic
The announcement from White and the subsequent commentary from ‘Bones’ certainly struck a chord with fight fans, many of them taking to X (formerly Twitter) to once again slam Jones’ decision to “duck” Aspinall in favor of a fight with consensus heavyweight GOAT Stipe Miocic later this year.
“Trolls telling me I’m slowing down the division by getting injured,” Jones added. “Meanwhile, the next two heavyweights aren’t even a main event? Interesting. I’m on the right path, I got until November to remind the world. Again.”
No official date has been announced for Jones vs. Miocic, but both fighters have recently acknowledged that the bout would go down this November when the UFC makes its annual pit stop at the world’s most famous arena — Madison Square Garden.
“I’m definitely not retired,” Jones posted. “Sitting on my porch sore all over enjoying some time in the Metaverse. November 9 can’t come soon enough. I’m earning it every day. Just like I always have.”
