According to Chael Sonnen, Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall is not a completed transaction after all.
The day after the highly anticipated unified match of the heavyweight championship “is agreed to all the way to the date,” Sonnen is now walking its claim in classic Sonnen fashion. The three-time UFC title challenger explained on his YouTube channel that he understands Jones will next fight Aspinel, but now he sees another hurdle standing in the way of that matchup.
“Okay, I might have said that,” Sonnen said. “I remember because I believed it was true. I might have said it. It’s really easy to shoot, film everything, and put it out.
Instead of Jones, Sonnen expects former interim champion himself, Gain, to get a shot with Aspinel’s interim belt.
“The current plan is Tom Aspinol vs. Cyril Gain for the interim championship,” Sonnen said. “Now I’m backing the movement. Our overarching theme, the constitution within the sports of MMA, is fiercely adhering to the rules we make up when we go. That’s why I like what ends at the World Championships.”
The complicated heavyweight championship scene came as a result of Francis Ngannow’s breakup with the UFC in 2023. The new champion quickly came crowned Jones jumping out of the light heavyweight division and doing a short gain job at UFC 285. However, the injury was kicked out of a scheduled title defense against Stipe Myosic eight months later, with Aspinol defeating Alexander Folkov in the interim title.
Since then, both men have defended the belt, with Aspinel losing out to Curtis Braides at UFC 304, and Jones defeating Miocic in a rescheduled match at UFC 309.
Like it or not, Sonnen claims that if fans have ever seen Jones fight Aspinel, they are under pressure to first deliver another powerful performance.
“We’re not only going to win both (interim champions and non-discussed champions), but we’re going to compete for the interim championship again,” Sonnen said. “But we’re going to do it for the first time in front of an indisputable champion. We may or may not do it in nine weeks on the international fight weekend.”
“According to a very good source, John Jones will be given the ability to wait 180 days, which is equivalent to six months. “Tom Aspinall is going to fight Ciryl Gane. In fact, he was on the table many months ago, so Ciryl gave him a decision in the fight he lost to (Alexander) Volkov. It’s tentative, but we will adhere to one of the things we do consistently.