Heavyweights call for Jones to be stripped - what happens next?
With the future of the UFC heavyweight division continuing to remain unclear, a number of fighters have called for Jon Jones to be stripped of his title.American Jones last fought in November, defending his belt against Stipe Miocic instead of facing Britain's interim champion Tom Aspinall.Aspinall, 32, has held the interim belt for 18 months and despite a number of pleas for a unification bout with Jones, the fight has yet to materialise.UFC president Dana White says the promotion has been trying to finalise the contest, but Jones is yet to commit, teasing Aspinall on social media and hinting at retirement.Before his heavyweight bout in Baku, Azerbaijan this weekend, American Curtis Blaydes said the UFC should take the title off Jones."If he doesn't fight I would like him to be stripped. We all get it. He's the GOAT, he's great, but if you're not going to be active, what are you doing holding the belt?" said Blaydes."I get what he's doing. He enjoys this. He enjoys his name being talked about. I'm over it already."Blaydes' opponent Risvan Kuniev echoed his thoughts, calling for Jones to be stripped and describing Aspinall as the "true champion".With the UFC heavyweight division in still in limbo, BBC Sport looks at what could happen next.
Jones v Aspinall actually happens
This is the ideal scenario with White describing the potential matchup as the "biggest heavyweight fight in UFC history".Jones, 37, is a former light-heavyweight champion and widely considered one of, if not the best, MMA fighter of all time.He has an overall record of 28 wins, one loss and one no-contest, and holds the record for most title fight wins in the UFC, with 16.Aspinall, meanwhile, has finished all eight of his fights in the UFC and holds a number of records, including the shortest fight time average in the promotion's history, at two minutes and two seconds.The UFC are trying to make the fight happen with New York in November and Las Vegas in December being the most likely options for the event to take place.Aspinall wants the bout, but the sticking point is Jones.Jones has been non-committal, suggesting he is retired, saying fighting Aspinall does "nothing for his legacy", and instead calling out former champion Francis Ngannou.As the months tick by with no solution between the UFC, Jones and Aspinall, hopes of the bout taking place are dwindling.
Aspinall is promoted to undisputed
Should Jones be stripped or bring the curtain down on his distinguished career like he has been hinting, Aspinall would become the first Briton to unify the UFC heavyweight division.It is 586 days since Aspinall beat Sergei Pavlovich with his interim title reign being the longest in UFC history.The previous record was former interim bantamweight title holder Renan Barao, with the Brazilian holding the belt for 534 days.Although Aspinall has repeatedly called for the bout with Jones, he has added that he has no problem with the American - he just wants to become the undisputed champion.Earlier this month White described Aspinall as "the man" and said the Briton's next fight will be for the undisputed title.But if Jones retires or is stripped of his belt, who could be the other contenders?
Gane, Volkov and Almeida could challenge
Should Aspinall be promoted to undisputed heavyweight champion, France's Ciryl Gane is the most likely candidate to first challenge for the belt.The 35-year-old is a former interim champion and has twice missed out on the undisputed crown - to Ngannou in 2022 and Jones the following year.Since the defeat by Jones, Gane has won two fights and climbed to second in the UFC heavyweight rankings.Aspinall has previously called for a fight with Gane, but the bout didn't materialise.Other contenders who could face Aspinall are Russia's Alexander Volkov and Brazil's Jailton Almeida, with the Briton recently saying on his YouTube he had been training with the potential of fighting either.Volkov, 36, is third in the heavyweight rankings and lost to Aspinall in 2022.He has won four of his last five fights but suffered a narrow defeat in December to Gane.Almeida, 33, meanwhile, is sixth in the UFC rankings and is on a two-fight win streak.
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