News White to Aspinall: Defend Interim Title or Sit on the Shelf. You Don't Get Jones.

[Cowboy Kurt Angle]

God forbidd Jones doesn’t cherry pick for once and fights the greatest threat to his career

 

[Dick]

I get it. It's a legacy fight for Jones. Stipe is the longest defending heavyweight champ in history. Achievement-wise, The Miocic fight makes the most sense. Jon has fought the best his whole career, The sentiment that he's "ducking" Aspinall is hilarious.

 

[El Fernas]

They dont need a belt tho...both are probably retiring or rematching after that fight if the money is right to do it again, Aspinall better collect checks fighting as Interim champion instead, IC get paid too...Nothing of this is news, we all knew Dana wasnt going to strip Jones, and that actually makes sense, its not been that long to begin with, he pulled out of a fight due to injury, he bought himself time there, and Dana is set on Jones vs Stipe, something we also knew.

 

[FreedomCricket]

Well I guess Tom should just enjoy the next year of being champ... because after the jones/stipe fight they are going to retire and Tom will go from interim to undisputed without having to fight either guy.

Tom doesn't have much to actually gain by defending the interim belt. It's all risk.

Meanwhile he can do some talk shows or film a movie while he waits for the old timers to fight.

 

[Krixes]

Just give Tom PPV points, I'm sure he'll fight Gane if so.

 

[Bobby Boulders]

Dana just trying to keep the status quo. Even he suspects the possibility that Tom would make Jones go night night.

 

[The Big Babou]

Think Dana must've made some weird deal behind the scenes with Jon/stipe because only those 3 people care about the fight

Yep, I was thinking the same thing... there's gotta be something going on in the background

 

[Kryptt]

 

[Portland8242]

UFC gonna UFC. They rebooked Almeida vs blaydes instead of a true number one contenders battle of Gane vs Almeida. 100% they're pressuring Aspinall into the defense vs Gane now maybe Paris' first ppv in the summer.

Tough to be an Aspinall fan.

I don't want him to be inactive but I don't want him giving undeserved fights to guys like Gane. He literally went to Paris to call out Gane after his win over Spivak and Gane completely ignored him. Now the shoes on the other foot and Aspinall is the guy now, all of a sudden Gane wants the fight now. It's pathetic.

Gane's next fight needs to be the winner of Almeida/Blaydes. Almeida already should be ahead of him in the rankings.

 

[MrBlackheart]

If I were a Aspinall, I’d sit out the whole year. Wait to get promoted to HW champ after Jones/Stipe fight or hope that fight falls through again and have Dana answer to the board of directors behind closed doors. Win win situation.

 

[Psychojoe86]

Aspinall CANNOT defend the INTERIM belt. It is NOT REAL.

Think about it. It’s a pure scam.not just to the fighters but to the fans and the sport as a whole.

The lengths Dana white will go to just play out the fantasy in his head for the ufc is just pathetic.

 

[JakePaulMMA]

Aspinal should defend his fake belt just so when he finally fights for the actual belt we can hear Bruce

"REIGNING, DEFENDING, INTERIM HEAVY WEIGHT CHAMPION OF THE WORLD!"

UNDISPUTED INTERIM HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION

 

[El Fernas]

Well I guess Tom should just enjoy the next year of being champ... because after the jones/stipe fight they are going to retire and Tom will go from interim to undisputed without having to fight either guy.

Tom doesn't have much to actually gain by defending the interim belt. It's all risk.

Meanwhile he can do some talk shows or film a movie while he waits for the old timers to fight.

Championship pay.

 

[Iroh]

Lol with the wear and tear on Stipe and his age, he could very well injure himself next and have the fight postponed again. UFC is really messing up the image of their HW division. It's not a great strategy to compete with Ngannou's claim to being the baddest man on the planet, IMO.

 

[Poatan Power]

Think Dana must've made some weird deal behind the scenes with Jon/stipe because only those 3 people care about the fight

The only people that don't want to see Stipe and Jones fight (imo) are people who just plainly hate Jones and don't want Stipe on his resume. They also think Aspinall will beat Jones, which they'd rather see.

I'd personally love to see both fights regardless of outcome, but the Stipe fight only makes sense if you do it ASAP. Aspinall isn't turning 40 something anytime soon.

And Jones may just retire, which he deserves to do. Well over a decade of dominance and championship fighting in now 2 divisions warrants respect and leeway. I don't expect Jones to attempt to beat the top 5 heavyweights at his advanced age in the same manner he did at LHW when he was 23.

That being said, I also think Jones smokes Aspinall, albeit, if father time and wear/tear catches up to him, Aspinall takes it.

 

[VinceArch]

What a dumb ass cluster fuck this has turned into. I have no interest in Jon/Stipe. I'd rather they keep the division moving along and try to let it recover after Dana drove the HW champion out of the UFC.

 

[egk]

I don't know why this matters to anyone. Aspinall will be the HW champ eventually if he keeps winning. If Stipe and Jones fight and retire, he'll be champion and on the off chance the winner comes back, he'll get his chance anyway.

 

[Thepaintbucket]

It sucks for him because you might as well consider him the legitimate champion. But as we know Jon Jones and Stipe will always have priority until they retire. It's the way of good business.

 

[MrBlackheart]

Aspinall CANNOT defend the INTERIM belt. It is NOT REAL.

Think about it. It’s a pure scam.not just to the fighters but to the fans and the sport as a whole.

The lengths Dana white will go to just play out the fantasy in his head for the ufc is just pathetic.

So if Aspinall fights Gane or whomever and wins, he still won’t get Jones. Essential Dana telling Aspinall to put in work that won’t pay off. Makes sense.

 

[Joshuaace]

Dana to paying fans: You've never concerned yourselves with our belts being meritorious, why start now?