Fans may have to wait even longer for the highly anticipated UFC heavyweight title unification bout between Jon Jones and interim champion Tom Aspinall.
The status of this potential superfight has been unclear for several months, leaving UFC fans in anticipation.
Aspinall himself hinted that news was forthcoming, stating he had been “sworn to secrecy” but now knew the details regarding the fight talks.
UFC President Dana White recently offered a positive outlook, expressing strong confidence that the unification fight would indeed happen.
UFC insider claims Aspinall convinced to fight Ciryl Gane
Despite White`s optimism, fans have reportedly faced another setback. According to UFC insider Din Thomas, Aspinall has instead been persuaded to defend his interim belt against Ciryl Gane at UFC 317.
Thomas is not the first to make this claim; fellow insider Chael Sonnen also recently suggested that an Aspinall vs. Gane fight is in the planning stages.
Earlier this week, Aspinall unfortunately marked a milestone, becoming the longest-reigning interim champion in UFC history without challenging for the undisputed title.
In a recent interview with Mike Bohn, Din Thomas elaborated on his prediction:
“If I had to put my money on it, I think they convinced Tom Aspinall to fight Ciryl Gane. Tom wants to fight and he’ll be like, ‘Alright, I’ll fight’, and I think they’ll throw a number at Ciryl Gane. It won’t be ideal for him but they’ll throw a number that he can’t refuse and he’ll take it and I think it makes more sense that way.”
Thomas also offered insight into Jon Jones`s perspective on the potential matchup:
“Jon is a chess player, he’s a very intellectual chess player. He’s trying to collect as much information on Tom Aspinall as possible. We haven’t seen him in a lot of tough spots, we don’t know how he’s gonna respond to that, and I think Jon is probably waiting on that.”
“That’s probably what Jon is looking for from Tom Aspinall. Give him a couple more fights, I want some more information before I say yes to this fight,” Thomas continued.
Jon Jones now second longest reigning UFC heavyweight champ
Meanwhile, Jon ‘Bones’ Jones recently became the second longest-reigning UFC heavyweight champion, surpassing Stipe Miocic. He is now second only to Cain Velasquez in terms of title reign duration.
If Jones further delays the unification fight by six months, he would overtake Velasquez and set the record for the longest heavyweight title reign in UFC history, despite having made only a single defense of his title.
Regardless of whether the 37-year-old achieves this record, his continued actions and perceived reluctance to fight Aspinall have caused frustration among fans and will likely damage his legacy in the eyes of many.
Rupert Hartwell 
Benedict Kingsley