Jon Jones took a break from his rubberbanding on the Tom Aspinall fight to address his past remarks on the UFC’s pound-for-pound king.
UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones and interim titleholder Tom Aspinall are still in a holding pattern as the promotion continues to share vague answers on the state of their negotiations. Jones vs. Aspinall could potentially take place as soon as September, as the UFC’s summer slate is almost completely filled up with marquee fights.
Jones infuriated UFC fans earlier this week when he proclaimed ‘I’m done’ in a leaked conversation with another fighter over FaceTime. Jones has since pivoted on that stance, and UFC CEO Dana White remains adamant in making the Aspinall showdown come to fruition.
In the meantime, Jones will coach opposite former UFC superstar Nate Diaz on a Russian spinoff of The Ultimate Fighter. During the show’s filming, Jones raised eyebrows when he labeled UFC lightweight champ Islam Makhachev as ‘still young to the sport’, which aggravated many loyal fans of the pound-for-pound king.
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Jon Jones addresses harsh criticism of Islam Makhachev assessment
During the show’s filming, Diaz and Jones were talking about the UFC’s pound-for-pound No. 1 fighter, when Diaz began to belittle the Dagestani’s accomplishments in the Octagon. Jones answered by labeling Makhachev an up-and-coming fighter, a head-scratching remark about the UFC’s top name.
Many of Makhachev’s fans hit back at Jones’s taunt on social media, moreso than Diaz’s, as Diaz shares a long, checkered history with Dagestani athletes. It didn’t take long for Jones to address the controversy.
During a recent interview with Red Corner MMA, Jones responded to fan backlash over his comments about Makhachev.
“I feel like the comment I made, made a lot of people upset, a lot of Islam’s fans upset,” Jones said. “But really what I was trying to do, was I was trying to translate for Nate to the Russians. Nate speaks in a very laid back way, he speaks with a lot of slang. If you’re not American, it may be hard to understand what he was saying.
“So I was just trying to translate for Diaz. But at the same time, me saying that Islam is an up-and-coming fighter, when it’s coming from me, I can say that.
“Not many people can say that, I can.”
Jones has repeatedly questioned Khabib Nurmagomedov and Makhachev’s standing in the pound-for-pound debate in recent years. Jones believes Nurmagomedov’s decision to walk away from fighting after UFC 254 impacts his case in the GOAT conversation.
Makhachev has the chance to add to his legacy when he fights for a second UFC title later this year against UFC welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena. Maddalena defeated Makhachev’s teammate, Belal Muhammad, at UFC 315 earlier this month.
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Jon Jones quells UFC retirement fears amidst Tom Aspinall fight uncertainty
After Jones changed course on retiring from MMA, he and his team will return their attention to negotiating with the UFC brass for a comeback fight. Jones retained the UFC heavyweight championship by finishing Stipe Miocic in November at UFC 309.
Aspinall defended the interim heavyweight title by finishing Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 last year. He sat cageside at UFC 309 as Jones failed to call him out by name in the Octagon following his beatdown of Miocic.
As the Jones vs. Aspinall saga continues, fans are becoming increasingly impatient with all parties involved. Hopefully, fight fans will get the legendary heavyweight clash they deserve.