UFC Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones won’t have his stance affected.
The topic of Jones’ first title defense has long raged on. While it was initially set to come eight months on from his crowning in a divisional debut opposite Ciryl Gane, it’s now been 17 months since he completed multi-weight glory at the Frenchman’s expense.
A planned bout against Stipe Miocic last November fell away due to an injury for Jones, throwing the division up in the air. The surging Tom Aspinall was subsequently crowned interim champ at the Madison Square Garden-held event.
But despite the presence of another titleholder, both Jones and the UFC have remained firm on plans to reschedule the clash with Miocic. Criticism of that only increased when the Brit defended his gold with a first-round knockout of Curtis Blaydes last month in Manchester.
Many of those against Jones and Miocic sharing the cage for the title have pointed to the latter’s layoff. The heavyweight legend hasn’t competed since suffering a brutal knockout at the hands of Francis Ngannou three and a half years ago and is now 42 years old.
But Jones has frequently dismissed the suggestion that he’s chasing a lower level of opposition, defending Miocic against those branding him “washed.” That trend continued in a social media post this week, with the Rochester native branding anyone who follows that line of thought a “casual.”
“Man, I appreciate the boss and the comments he made at last nights press conference. Sounds like I have some massive options on the table, an athletes dream,” Jones wrote. “Right now I need to get back to focusing on the task at hand. Despite what some of the casuals think, Stipe is really no joke. It’s crazy that we live in a world where you can go from the best heavyweight ever to washed up after a bad performance. The reality is Francis would’ve knocked out 98% of people on the planet that night, but somehow Stipe is washed up?
“Stipe not competing in so long tells me that he’s had plenty of time to heal and rebuild. Let me get back to focusing on the actual task at hand, that’s what got me this far. My focus, I do what others can’t,” Jones added.
Fans Make Their Voices Heard After Jones’ Latest Refusal To Unify UFC Heavyweight Division
Unsurprisingly, Jones’ latest post reiterating his avoidance of Aspinall and stance that nothing but a showdown with the returning Miocic should be next drew out plenty of reactions on social media.
While plenty berated the former light heavyweight champ, accusing him of “ducking” his British counterpart, some others backed Jones’ right to finish out his career in the way he chooses.
