Jon Jones’s teammate Gable Steveson has hit back at fans who claim that the heavyweight champion is ‘ducking’ Tom Aspinall.
It’s been almost two years since the Brit won interim gold at heavyweight when Jones was injured and forced out of his first title defence. However, Aspinall seems to be farther away than ever from a chance to unify the division as his rival eyes retirement or a fight with Francis Ngannou.
Jones is still training, and has been in the gym with Olympic Gold medalist wrestler Steveson despite claims that he is looking towards retirement. And with his own MMA debut upcoming, the wrestling star has opened up about their sessions.
Gable Steveson defends Jon Jones amid Tom Aspinall ‘ducking’ claims
After returning from filming a reality TV show in Thailand, Jon Jones headed to Miami during the week for the latest iteration of his Dirty Boxing Championship. He was flanked by an entourage that notably included Gable Steveson, who has been a long-time training partner for the UFC legend.
Steveson is currently getting ready for his first MMA fight, and caught up with Bloody Elbow for a brief chat on the red carpet. He remained coy about Jones’ future, but insisted that he is not avoiding the Aspinall fight.
Asked if Jones is finished, he replied: “I’m not sure, that might be a question you have to ask Jon… I would rather have Jon do whatever Jon wants to do, if it’s Tom then it’s Tom. If it’s Francis then it’s Francis. Or if it’s me then it’s me.
“He’s definitely not ducking. Whatever Jon wants to do, he’s going to do it. And he’s going to do it to the best of his ability.”
Jon Jones appears uninterested in Tom Aspinall fight
Jon Jones has been trolling fans who want him to fight Tom Aspinall in recent days, particularly taking aim at a petition that has almost 200,000 signatures. And he seems to be more interested in a meeting with former UFC champion Francis Ngannou after years of back and forth.
Jones was relatively unresponsive when asked by Bloody Elbow during fight week about potentially fighting Aspinall. But he did joke that if the Brit came to one of his Dirty Boxing Championship events then he would give him the fight.
It is expected that Aspinall will have an announcement of a fight soon, with fans speculating it may be at International Fight Week. Dana White claims Jones has agreed to the fight, but the UFC legend seemed surprised to hear that this week.