Even Jon Jones’ UFC peers appear to be losing patience with the heavyweight champion.
Jones has occupied the heavyweight throne for over two years, but the most recent months of his reign have seen the Rochester native accused of holding the title hostage.
Since stopping the now-retired Stipe Miocic in his one and only defense last November, Jones has rejected calls to fight Tom Aspinall, who has been stuck with interim gold for 19 months.
Instead, the GOAT contender has frequently hinted at retirement. But the lack of a confirmed decision has angered many in the community, almost 200,000 of whom have signed a petition calling for the UFC to strip Jones.
And fans aren’t the only ones who have a critical take on Jones’ stance.
Alexander Volkanovski tells Jon Jones ‘just retire’ if he won’t do what a UFC champion should
During a recent appearance on the Overdogs Podcast with Mike Perry, UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski gave his assessment of the situation up at heavyweight.
Having been an incredibly active titleholder during his first stint on the 145-pound throne, ‘Alexander the Great’ believes champions have a “responsibility” to defend their belts — especially with the presence of an interim counterpart.
That, Volkanovski says, is a requirement that Jones is not fulfilling.
“If you’re the champ, you defend your belt — it’s a responsibility,” Volkanovski said. “You can’t just sit out.
“You need to be reasonably active. You need to fight whoever’s there. If you’ve got an interim champ, that’s a no-brainer.
“I don’t want to throw heaps of shade, but look, I know he’s proved himself, everyone’s like, ‘Look what he’s done, it’s fine.’ No, not really.
“Don’t hold up the division. I know your résumé is incredible. You’re considered the greatest of all time,” Volkanovski added. “So if you don’t want to fight, just retire, you’re done.”
- READ MORE: Ilia Topuria shares new footage from UFC 317 camp alongside sinister warning to Charles Oliveira
Jon Jones reacts to Dana White claiming he ‘accepted’ Tom Aspinall fight
Despite the growing frustration from fans, fighters, and analysts alike, Jones doesn’t appear fazed.
The former light heavyweight king has frequently laughed off the criticism and calls for him to be stripped by the UFC while responding in social media tirades.
And his most recent remarks to Bloody Elbow while in Miami for Dirty Boxing Championship’s second event suggest that nothing has changed.
UFC CEO Dana White claimed Jones accepted the Aspinall fight. When asked about that, however, the heavyweight champ appeared puzzled and queried, “Is that what he said?”