Dana White wishes two UFC icons had continued their careers rather than hanging up the gloves.
Currently, there’s no fight in MMA that fans crave more so than Jon Jones vs Tom Aspinall. Alas, a series of tweets from the reigning heavyweight champion indicating a potential retirement haven’t done much to fill them with hope.
While Chael Sonnen says Jones has not turned down Aspinall, the likelihood of the contest coming to fruition seems to be dwindling.
Regardless, White hopes he can get the deal over the line, especially considering the regret he holds over two now Hall of Famers walking away while he still thought they had something left to give.
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Dana White wishes Khabib Nurmagomedov and Daniel Cormier didn’t retire
Dana White would love to deliver Jon Jones vs Tom Aspinall. However, he concedes that it’s ultimately up to the fighters when they choose to retire.
The UFC President still believes that Khabib Nurmagomedov and Daniel Cormier had a lot left in the tank when they decided to hang up the gloves.
During the UFC 316 press conference, the American was asked whether he’d consider it a duck if Jones retired rather than face the interim champion.
White responded: “Tom Aspinall is the guy, I don’t know, yeah. If the guy wants to retire and doesn’t want to fight, there’s nothing you can do.
“I didn’t want Khabib to retire, I thought ‘DC’ should’ve stayed in it longer, so it’s none of my business.
“I’ll do what I can to make the fight, if we can, if he’s talking that crazy s—, I didn’t realize that.”
Dana White responds to petition to strip Jon Jones
With Aspinall out of action for almost a year, some members of the MMA community have grown tired with Jones.
Consequently, a petition to strip the champion of his title has gained 187,000 signatures.
Unsurprisingly, the UFC CEO has heard all about it.
In response, White branded the idea of a petition ‘silly’.