The UFC is facing pressure to act on Jon Jones’ public refusal to fight Tom Aspinall.
Not many MMA topics continue to garner as much attention and debate as the heavyweight title picture, which has two champions but no unification fight set.
The blame evidently falls on Jones, who has recorded just one defense in his two years as champion. And despite the presence of an interim titleholder, Jones has frequently dismissed Aspinall as a potential next opponent, instead hinting at retirement.
That’s led to widespread anger and frustration, culminating in calls for UFC to remove Jones as champion.
But according to one former fighter, the Rochester native has done too much in the sport for the UFC to strip him.
Josh Thomson rejects fan calls for UFC to strip Jon Jones of his title
During a recent episode of his Weighing In podcast, former Strikeforce champion Josh Thomson gave his latest take on Jones’ current standing.
Unlike many fighters, fans, and analysts, ‘The Punk’ doesn’t want to see the UFC move to take Jones’ championship away.
That’s despite Thomson admitting that UFC gold likely means little to Jones at this point in his career.
“Go ahead and let Jon do what he wants to do. Jon doesn’t need another title to fight,” Thomson said. “It doesn’t mean anything anymore…no one cares.
“He has the belt, John. He makes the calls. Dana has stroked his ego so much, ‘The greatest to ever do it! The greatest fighter of all time!’
“You’ve gotta wait for him then, if you’ve said all those things,” Thomson added. “You’ve gotta wait for the greatest of all time to decide what he wants to do. You can’t strip him.”
Jon Jones drops down the UFC’s pound-for-pound list
Amid the wait for a definitive announcement on Jones’ future, the UFC heavyweight champion has lost his spot on the pound-for-pound list.
Only a few months on from a fierce debate over whether he deserved the P4P crown over Islam Makhachev, Jones has been surpassed by Merab Dvalishvili.
The Georgian has surged above both ‘Bones’ and Ilia Topuria following his second successful title defense at UFC 316, where Dvalishvili submitted Sean O’Malley in round three.
| Rank | Name | Champion | Division |
| 1 | Islam Makhachev | Yes | Lightweight |
| 2 | Merab Dvalishvili | Yes | Bantamweight |
| 3 | Jon Jones | Yes | Heavyweight |
| 4 | Ilia Topuria | No | Featherweight |
| 5 | Dricus du Plessis | Yes | Middleweight |
| 6 | Magomed Ankalaev | Yes | Light Heavyweight |
| 7 | Alexander Volkanovski | Yes | Featherweight |
| 8 | Jack Della Maddalena | Yes | Welterweight |
| 9 | Alex Pereira | No | Light Heavyweight |
| 10 | Alexandre Pantoja | Yes | Flyweight |
| 11 | Tom Aspinall | Yes | Heavyweight |
| 12 | Max Holloway | No | Featherweight/Lightweight |
| 13 | Belal Muhammad | No | Welterweight |
| 14 | Charles Oliveira | No | Lightweight |
| 15 | Arman Tsarukyan | No | Lightweight |
It remains to be seen whether Jones will compete again and perhaps earn a boost back toward the top.
Given his apparent willingness for the UFC to strip him, it seems likely that ‘Bones’ isn’t too concerned about a return to the P4P throne this late in his career.