UFC president Dana White is fiercely committed to booking Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic despite Tom Aspinall's desire to move the division along.
Jones vs. Miocic was originally scheduled to headline UFC 295 on Nov. 11. The promotion postponed the bout after Jones suffered an injury that will keep him out of action through next summer. Aspinall stepped in on short notice and defeated Sergei Pavlovich to win the interim heavyweight title. Aspinall has repeatedly called to fight Miocic in Jones' absence, but White refuses to budge on rebooking Jones vs. Miocic.
"Aspinall could possibly fight again," White told TNT Sports. "I don't know. We'll see how this plays out going into the next year, but Jones and Stipe, the fight, they both deserve it. Jon Jones got injured. There's nothing he can do about it. We'll see what happens in 2024. If Aspinall wants to fight before that fight happens, why not? Why not let him defend it... We'd absolutely do it."
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White argues that Jones and Miocic deserve to see through the dream match between the promotion's most successful light heavyweight and heavyweight champions.
"If you look at what Stipe has accomplished in this sport, what he's done, where he's at in his career, he wants the Jon Jones fight, and I get it," White said. "Arguably the greatest heavyweight of all time vs. the greatest mixed martial artist of all time. He wants that fight, it's a big legacy fight for both guys."
More UFC news, rumors
- Merab Dvalishvili vs. Henry Cejudo is set for UFC 298 on Feb. 17, the promotion announced on Tuesday. Cejudo returned from a three-year layoff in May, losing a split decision to Aljamain Sterling for the UFC bantamweight championship. Dvalishvili is on a nine-fight winning streak and is arguably the division's most deserving title contender.
- Another fight with title implications is booked for UFC 298. The promotion formally announced Tatiana Suarez vs. Amanda Lemos for the Anaheim card. Suarez is building a strong case for a women's strawweight title shot and likely cements her status as a top contender with a win over Lemos.
- Jailton Almeida dominated Derrick Lewis on short notice but his lack of commitment for a finish did little to improve his standing in the heavyweight division. ESPN reports that Almeida will take on Curtis Blaydes, the opponent he was originally scheduled to fight in November, at UFC 299 in March. Bout agreements have reportedly been signed but the UFC has yet to officially announce the fight between the elite heavyweight grapplers.
- Rounding out the matchmaking updates is another addition to UFC 299. Mateusz Gamrot vs. Rafael dos Anjos was added to the lineup on Tuesday, according to UFC. Gamrot is coming off consecutive wins over Rafael Fiziev and Jalin Turner, but the outcomes did little to elevate his stock. Fiziev suffered a knee injury in their fight and Turner lost via split decision. A win over former lightweight champion dos Anjos could help elevate Gamrot, especially in the wake of Arman Tsarukyan's impressive rise.
