Israel Adesanya remains adamant fight fans have not seen the last of Jon Jones inside the octagon.
UFC president Dana White sent the combat sports world into meltdown last Sunday when he announced Jones had retired, which ‘Bones’ confirmed shortly after.
Jones retired with a highly impressive record of 28-1-1GettyJones’ retirement meant he was no longer the UFC’s heavyweight champion as English beast Tom Aspinall was upgraded from interim champ to the division’s undisputed king.
It ends a period of frustration and inactivity for Aspinall as he was sidelined for a year waiting to fight Jones, whose only defence of the heavyweight belt came against a 42-year-old Stipe Miocic last November.
Aspinall’s absence from the octagon has been so long, he set the unwanted record of being the longest-reigning interim champion in UFC history.
Yet Adesanya believes all hope is not lost regarding a bout between Aspinall and Jones as he felt the 37-year-old’s posts on social media point towards an eventual return.
“I think he’ll come back,” Adesanya said on the Ariel Helwani Show.
“It’s the drama of it. Someone was telling me about the tweets. I had a look and I was like, ‘He’s coming back.’
“What do the kids call it, rage-baiting? It’s working.
“And again, I don’t agree with the fact of holding up the division. Tom defended the belt, that’s a defence on his book. Let the division keep moving.”
According to White at the UFC 316 post-fight press conference, Jones had even accepted a bout against Aspinall to settle who was the king of the heavyweights once and for all.
But Jones opted to call it a day rather than fight the Mancunian, who is on a three-fight win streak.
The Ariel Helwani ShowAdesanya believes there is method behind the madness that is Jones’ social media…[/caption] But the 37-year-old remains adamant he has stepped in the octagon for the final timeGetty Images - GettyAspinall, who last fought in July 2024, has already unveiled plans to ‘hopefully’ fight twice before the end of the year.
By that time, Adesanya believes the stage will be set for Jones to finally throw down with Aspinall, especially given the dizzying pay day he anticipates to be on offer.
“There’s too much money,” Adesanya said.
“They offered him $20, $30million (£21.8m)? Yeah, I think he’ll come back.
“It’ll be even bigger by the time he comes back because Tom will have had two or three fights and built up his own legacy as well.”
As for Aspinall’s next fights, he has name-dropped Brazil’s Jailton Almeida, No.1 contender Ciryl Gane as well as Alexander Volkov as names on his hit-list.
Aspinall has not fought in over 330 days and the number is only going to growGettyFight fans may hope Aspinall faces Gane first given the Frenchman is the only active heavyweight who fought Jones.
Gane lasted just over two minutes before he was submitted by Jones in the very first round as the latter won the vacant heavyweight title.
Aspinall would hope for a similar outcome and may even expect it given seven of his last eight victories happened in the first round.
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