In a revealing press conference after UFC 316, UFC President Dana White addressed the ongoing saga surrounding heavyweight champion Jon Jones and potential challenger Tom Aspinall, making it clear that while the organization wants the fight to happen, they cannot force Jones to compete.
“Listen, you can’t make people fight. If Jon doesn’t want to fight, can’t make him fight,” White stated plainly when asked about Jones’ recent social media posts suggesting he might vacate his title rather than face Aspinall.
The UFC boss confirmed that Jones had previously agreed to the matchup with Aspinall but acknowledged the champion’s history of unpredictability. “We can try to make him fight. We can throw things at him that inspire him to want to fight, but we’ll figure it out,” White added.
Jones has recently stirred controversy by suggesting on social media that he’s ready to vacate his belt and showing interest in a potential fight with former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, who now competes in the PFL. White dismissed this possibility, stating, “I don’t have Ngannou under contract. And Aspinall is the guy.”
When asked if he thought Jones was ducking Aspinall, White remained diplomatic but firm about who deserves the next title shot: “Tom Aspinall is the guy. He’s the guy.”
The UFC president compared the situation to previous instances where champions wanted to retire, including Georges St-Pierre and Khabib Nurmagomedov. “I didn’t want Khabib to retire. I didn’t want [Daniel Cormier] to stay in it longer. So, it’s none of my business.”
White also addressed the online petition from fans calling for Jones to be stripped of his title, downplaying its significance: “130,000 people want to see him stripped… It’s kind of silly.”
Despite the ongoing drama, White maintained that the UFC has been in talks with Jones about this fight “forever” and that Jones had “agreed to do the fight” and “accepted the deal.”
The press conference came after UFC 316 in Las Vegas, which White described as a successful event with a $6.5 million gate and attendance of 17,343, marking the fourth-highest gate in UFC history at the venue.
White’s comments reflect the delicate balance the UFC faces with its stars – wanting to deliver the fights fans demand while navigating the complex personalities and negotiations that come with high-profile champions like Jones.
