Alexander Volkanovski pressures Jon Jones to 'just retire' amid Tom Aspinall hesitancy
Alexander Volkanovski pressures Jon Jones to 'just retire' amid Tom Aspinall hesitancy
Alexander Volkanovski says fellow UFC champion Jon Jones needs to make a decision on his fighting future.
Jones (28-1 MMA, 22-1 UFC) is yet to unify his heavyweight title with interim champ Tom Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC), and with his continuously uncertain answers, many are wondering if he'll ever fight again. UFC CEO Dana White said Jones agreed to fight Aspinall, but with the fight still not official, Aspinall insists he's ready to move on.
UFC featherweight champion Volkanovski (27-5 MMA, 14-4 UFC) doesn't like the idea of Jones getting to hold onto the belt while he decides what's next. Jones hasn't competed since finishing Stipe Miocic last November at UFC 309.
"If you're the champ, you defend your belt. It's a responsibility," Volkanovski said on the Overdogs Podcast. "You can't just sit out. You need to be reasonably active. You need to fight whoever's there. If you've got an interim champ, it's a no-brainer. So, I don't want to throw heaps of shade, but look, I know he's proved himself.
"Everyone's like, 'Look what he's done, it's fine.' No, not really. Don't hold up the division just because. I know your resume is incredible. You're considered the greatest of all time, we get that. So, if you don't want to fight, just retire, you're done. Or if you want big fights, you're going to have to vacate the title."
During his first UFC featherweight title reign, Volkanovski remained active. He competed in six title fights from April 2022 to February 2024, before opting to take a break after back-to-back knockout losses. After losing his belt to Ilia Topuria at UFC 298, he reclaimed his featherweight title by defeating Diego Lopes for the vacant belt at UFC 314.
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