Dana White is extremely confident that Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall will meet in the Octagon and will guarantee that the heavyweight title fight will take place at some point next year.
“Yes, I say 100 percent.” [guaranteed]” White said during Saturday night’s UFC Tampa post-fight press conference.
Aspinall revealed that he recently had a conversation with the UFC CEO at UFC 309, where White promised him that his long-awaited showdown with Jones would happen sometime in the future.
Jones returned to action in the night’s main event on Nov. 16 at Madison Square Garden in the headliner of UFC 309, dispatching Stipe Miocic with a third-round technical knockout. This match was one in which Jones asserted that he remained intact even after Aspinall was crowned champion. The promotion’s interim heavyweight champion, the New Mexico resident defended the strap over the past year while healing from a chest injury. In the aftermath of his win at UFC 309, Jones hinted that he would need a big payday to face Aspinall and unify the heavyweight titles. In other interviews, “Bones” has expressed strong interest in facing UFC light heavyweight titleholder Alex Pereira.
White said Jones takes a very different tone in backroom negotiations.
“Let me tell you what’s wrong. So those people usually say it behind the scenes and don’t say it publicly. John says things like that publicly, but behind the scenes he doesn’t say it publicly. “John is a very unique person to deal with,” White said.
“From day one, I was confident that Jon Jones was going to play that fight. I mean, even before that… [Miocic] I said there was a fight and if he won there was no way John wouldn’t have this fight. Jon Jones isn’t afraid to fight anyone, that’s a fact. The only time anything weird ever happened to Jon Jones was when his shitty kings camp did some weird Chel Sonnen stuff. “You can’t rush into a fight with Chel Sonnen.” That wasn’t him. It was his team and he listened to his team for whatever reason. But it’s like the dumbest move in UFC history. But aside from that, behind the scenes Jon Jones isn’t the kind of guy to turn down a fight. ”
It’s rare for White to guarantee hypothetical matchmaking of any kind without a formal agreement, but the case of Jones and Aspinall appears to be a special case.
“100 percent [it’s a priority]. “I think it’s probably the biggest fight in heavyweight history, and it’s one of the biggest fights in the history of the company,” White said. “It’s a big battle.”
