Jon Jones’ avoidance of Tom Aspinall even managed to come up during the very first fight of UFC Baku.
Not many topics continue to garner significant attention quite like the heavyweight title picture in the UFC.
While the division has had two champions for 19 months, they continue to not fight. That’s been down to the longtime GOAT contender, with Jones rejecting calls for him to fight Aspinall.
There’s been plenty of frustration in the community as a result, culminating in a viral petition calling for the UFC to strip Jones. All the while, Aspinall has continued to joke about the champ ‘ducking’ him.
And in that sense, it’s not just Aspinall cracking jokes at Jones’ expense…
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Michael Bisping makes Jon Jones joke during UFC Baku opener
Alongside the interim UFC heavyweight titleholder, a number of fans, and even some UFC fighters, color commentators Daniel Cormier and Michael Bisping have been publicly critical of Jones.
The latter of those ex-fighters again showed where he stands while cageside to commentate on Saturday’s UFC Baku event.
During the first fight between heavyweights Mohammed Usman and Hamdy Abdelwahab, Brendan Fitzgerald quoted Rashad Evans’ use of an intriguing “code word” in the corner of Usman.
“Rashad Evans using the code word ‘Jon Jones’. We’ll see what that move is for Usman.”
The quick-thinking Bisping hilariously responded with a common dig at Jones.
“Duck,” Bisping said. “It’s a joke everyone!”
Tom Aspinall trolled Jon Jones with rubber duck at a UFC event
Bisping was not the first to get a laugh out of the ongoing Jones situation during a UFC broadcast.
Aspinall encouraged accusations of ducking this past March while in attendance at the promotion’s latest event in London.
The English heavyweight made the most of his brief appearance on screen by holding up a toy rubber duck.
While he’s consistently joked about Jones’ refusal to unify the title, Aspinall is also no doubt frustrated at the situation and his inability to become undisputed champion in a showdown he’s long described as a “dream fight.”
Having publicly given up hope of Dana White and co. drawing Jones back to the Octagon, Aspinall has begun to look elsewhere, setting his sights on the likes of Ciryl Gane and Jailton Almeida instead.