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          UFC's Tom Aspinall tired of waiting for 'retired' Jon Jones

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          Tom Aspinall: I'm tired of waiting for 'retired' Jon Jones (1:04)

          Tom Aspinall says the heavyweight division is getting sick of waiting for "retired" Jon Jones so it's time to move on. (1:04)

          • Brett OkamotoJun 2, 2025, 03:34 PM ET
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              Brett Okamoto has reported on mixed martial arts and boxing at ESPN since 2010. He has covered all of the biggest events in combat sports during that time, including in-depth interviews and features with names such as Dana White, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz, Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao and Georges St-Pierre. He was also a producer on the 30 for 30 film: "Chuck and Tito," which looked back at the careers and rivalry of Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. He lives in Las Vegas, and is an avid, below-average golfer in his spare time.
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          As far as interim UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall is concerned, Jon Jones is officially retired.

          Aspinall (15-3), appearing on ESPN's "Good Guy/Bad Guy" podcast on Monday, said he's looking to move on from a potential unification bout against Jones (28-1).

          UFC CEO Dana White has referred to the potential matchup between Jones, the undisputed champ, and Aspinall as "the biggest fight in heavyweight history," but Jones has been noncommittal on his interest and Aspinall, who has not fought since defending his interim title in July 2024, is clearly sick of waiting around.

          "Those guys [Jon Jones' camp] have been waiting around too long. The contenders are getting sick of it. Everybody's getting sick of it. Even the fans are getting sick of this stuff. So, Jon's retired and it's time that we move on." UFC heavyweight champ Tom Aspinall

          "Jon Jones is retired," Aspinall said. "I want to say God bless him moving forward in what he does with his life and career. We move on. I'm the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. I'm ready to take on all comers and get this division moving again.

          "Those guys have been waiting around too long. The contenders are getting sick of it. Everybody's getting sick of it. Even the fans are getting sick of this stuff. So, Jon's retired and it's time that we move on."

          Other than White previously expressing optimism, the UFC has not made any new comments on the status of the potential fight. To Aspinall's point regarding the division, almost none of the top-ranked heavyweights currently have a fight booked.

          "The other guys don't want to fight anybody because they might be next themselves," Aspinall said. "Everybody else is scared to fight. Nobody wants to make the next move. The division is completely stuck. I am sick of the division being stuck. I'm there. I'm active. I'm getting better all the time. Just stick me in. I'm ready to fight all of them."

          Aspinall went on to say his next move should be announced "soon," in conjunction with the UFC.

          Jones, 37, is widely considered to be the greatest fighter of all time. He moved up from the light heavyweight division in March 2023 and won the undisputed heavyweight title by submitting Ciryl Gane. He has fought only once since claiming the belt, recording a TKO title defense against Stipe Miocic in November.