Daniel Cormier: Jon Jones Is ‘Quitting' Without Tom Aspinall Fight

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 16: Daniel Cormier looks on ahead of the UFC 309 event at Madison ... More Square Garden on November 16, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
The way former two-division UFC champ Daniel Cormier sees it, UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones will walk away from MMA as a quitter if he does not face interim UFC heavyweight champ Tom Aspinall in a title unification bout.
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - OCTOBER 22: Daniel Cormier is seen in the broadcast booth during ... More the UFC 280 event at Etihad Arena on October 22, 2022 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
"All this other stuff that's going on around the fight – I mean, you're talking about me, you're talking about Francis (Ngannou), you're talking about Chael (Sonnen), you're talking about all these things and almost ignoring the right thing," Cormier said on his YouTube channel. "The right thing is to go fight this kid. If you beat him, which is a real thing, and a real likely scenario, you can then stick it to everyone like you've done on so many occasions and tell 'em about it.
"Nothing feels better to a guy like Jon Jones to be able to beat the guy that you thought was going to get him, and then him going, 'What did I say to you?' It's sweeter than any title or anything else you can give this man, but he's gotta be willing to take that chance to go and fight this dude."
"Not everybody gets to retire – Jon Jones will get to retire from fighting, but if he doesn't fight this guy, then that's just him quitting," Cormier, who is now a UFC commentator added. "There's one real fight for him and he's not so old and washed up that he can't take it.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 08: UFC CEO Dana White holds a press conference after the UFC 313 event at ... More T-Mobile Arena on March 08, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
According to UFC CEO Dana White, UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones has agreed to face interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall.
Speaking at the UFC 316 pst-fight press conference, White seemed taken aback when he was asked about Jones's recent social media posts that he was ready and willing to vacate the UFC heavyweight title.
"He said he's ready to vacate the belt? (Expletive) crazy," White said. "I've been busy. I haven't been keeping up with the gossip. He's either back today or came back yesterday or whenever. He was in Thailand. He's home. We'll be home tonight. Tuesday, we'll figure this out."
"Tom Aspinall's the guy. He's the guy. Listen, if [Jones] wants to retire and doesn't want to fight, nothing you can do,"added White. "I didn't want Khabib [Nurmagomedov] retire. I thought [Daniel] Cormier could have stayed it in longer. It's none of my business. I'll do what I can to make the fight if we can. If he's talking that crazy shit, I didn't realize that."
"It's definitely the process with Jon Jones," White said of the ongoing negotiations between the UFC and Jones. "I've been going through this since the day he started this. It's definitely the process. Him and Anderson Silva, every time throughout the history of being in business with those guys when it comes time to get them fights, it's like dealing with artists. It's interesting.
"It's Aspinall's fight. We've been talking to this kid forever about it and it's his fight. Listen, you can't make people fight. If Jon doesn't want to fight, you can't make him fight. We can try to make him fight. We can throw things at him that inspire him to want to fight but we'll figure it out."
"But yes, Jon agreed to fight Tom, fact," White added in closing.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - SEPTEMBER 17: Daniel Cormier reacts after seeing a cut on Gregory Rodrigues of ... More Brazil after a middleweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on September 17, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
Cormier, who held the UFC heavyweight title between July 2018 and August 2019, said that if he were in the same spot Jones finds himself in today, that he would have already faced Aspinall in a title unification bout.
'... I can tell you guys on good authority, if I was still fighting today, and I was still the heavyweight champion, and Tom Aspinall was the No. 1 contender, I would have already fought him, 1,000 percent,' said Cormier. "The mindset that I carried throughout my fight career, knowing how dangerous, it would have done nothing but excite me to see someone standing across the octagon that could potentially beat me, or knock my ass out. That would make me train harder, smarter, and be more prepared than I ever could have been. That's what that would have done to me. What it's doing to Jon Jones is very disturbing and very hard for me to understand. Because, in my mind, this guy is a fighter. I've seen him do it time and time again. It's a very weird situation."
Cormier also held the UFC light heavyweight title. He faced Jones twice over his UFC career, losing to him via decision when Jones held the UFC 205-pound belt in 2015. In their rematch, which was during Cormier's title reign, Jones knocked out Cormier. However, the result was later changed to a no contest when Jones failed a drug test. As a result of that drug test failure, the title reverted to Cormier.
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - JULY 27: Tom Aspinall of England reacts after his knockout victory against ... More Curtis Blaydes in the interim UFC heavyweight championship bout during the UFC 304 event at Co-op Live on July 27, 2024 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Aspinall won the interim UFC heavyweight crown in November 2023 with a knockout victory over Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295. Aspinall took that fight on short notice when the original main event for that card, Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic for Jones's heavyweight title was scrapped following an injury to Jones.
Despite Aspinall winning the interim crown, UFC CEO Dana White remained steadfast in saying that Jones vs. Miocic was the fight to make.
That fight did not take place until November 2024. Jones held on to his belt that night, beating Miocic by TKO in the third round. By that time, Aspinall had already defended his interim crown, scoring a first-round knockout win over Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 in July 2024.
Aspinall has been waiting for the title unification bout with Jones since Jones's win over Miocic in November. In late April, Miocic became the longest-serving UFC interim champion, topping the 535-day reign of Renan Barao, who defended his interim title twice before being named undisputed champion.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 16: Interim UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall looks on during the ... More UFC heavyweight championship fight during the UFC 309 event at Madison Square Garden on November 16, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
Earlier this month, Aspinall seemed frustrated by how long it is taking to get a title unification bout booked, going so far as to declare that Jones has retired.
"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.
"I'm the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. I'm ready to take on all comers, get this division moving again. Us guys have been waiting around too long. The guys, contenders are getting sick of it, everybody's getting sick of it, even the fans are getting sick of it. Jon's retired and it's time that we move on.'

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

CBS News

32 minutes ago

• CBS News

Wisconsin and NIL collective sue Miami, allege tampering and NIL inducements to land football player

The University of Wisconsin and its NIL collective VC Connect filed a joint lawsuit on Friday against the University of Miami, alleging it knowingly induced one of the Badgers' football players to abandon a lucrative name, image and likeness contract to play for the Florida this upcoming season. Allegations of tampering rarely get to this level and the 23-page lawsuit, which was filed in state court in Wisconsin and obtained by The Associated Press, is unusual. Depending on its resolution, it could have a a wider impact on future NIL deals across college athletics. The player in question in the filing is referred to only as "Student-Athlete A." But the case summary describes facts that line up with the situation involving cornerback Xavier Lucas, who last December announced his plans to enter the transfer portal. Shortly afterward, Darren Heitner, who has been representing Lucas, indicated that Wisconsin was refusing to put Lucas' name in the portal and that it was hindering his ability to talk with other schools. In January, Heitner announced that Lucas would be playing for Miami this fall. The situation is fallout from the rapid changes engulfing college athletics, specifically a combination of two things: Athletes went to court and won the ability to transfer with much more freedom and the 2021 NCAA decision clearing the way for them to strike NIL endorsement deals now worth millions of dollars. That has changed the recruiting landscape and forced the issue of contracts and signed commitments to the fore. "Indeed, student-athletes' newfound NIL rights will be rendered meaningless if third parties are allowed to induce student-athletes to abandon their contractual commitments," a portion of the lawsuit reads. Miami and Lucas were in talks before transfer decision, Wisconsin says Wisconsin said in January that it had credible information that Miami and Lucas made impermissible contact with each other before the former Badgers cornerback decided to transfer. Wisconsin and VC Connect allege that the inducement for Lucas to attend Miami happened within days of him entering his NIL agreement to play for the Badgers, and that they incurred substantial monetary and reputational harm. The lawsuit seeks unspecified monetary damages and "a declaration that Miami's conduct directed towards Student-Athlete A constituted tampering." A message left with the University of Miami seeking comment was not immediately returned. In a text message Friday, Heitner declined to comment on the lawsuit but he said that Lucas still plans to attend Miami and play football. Wisconsin said it had the support of its leadership and the Big Ten Conference in filing the lawsuit, noting its commitment to "ensuring integrity and fundamental fairness in the evolving landscape of college athletics." "While we reluctantly bring this case, we stand by our position that respecting and enforcing contractual obligations is essential to maintaining a level playing field," the statement said. "In addition to our legal action, we will continue to be proactive to protect the interests of our student-athletes, our program and the broader collegiate athletics community. Lucas, who is from Pompano Beach, Florida, had 12 tackles, an interception and a sack as a freshman for Wisconsin last season. Heitner said that Lucas hasn't received any money from Wisconsin and therefore owes no money to the school. Heitner also argued that Wisconsin had violated an NCAA bylaw by not entering Lucas into the transfer database within two business days of the player's request. Wisconsin issued a statement at the time saying it hadn't put Lucas' name in the portal because he had entered a two-year binding NIL agreement. In April, the surprise transfers of brothers Nico and Madden Iamaleava from Tennessee to UCLA prompted fresh questions about contracts and buyouts. Nico Iamaleava, who led Tennessee to the College Football Playoff last season, walked away from a reported $2.4 million NIL contract. Arkansas freshman quarterback Madden Iamaleava entered the portal after spring practices wrapped up. Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek released a statement indicating he would support efforts by the Razorbacks' NIL collective to enforce buyout clauses in athlete contracts. Iamaleava reportedly had a contract valued at $500,000 upon signing with Arkansas.

Screen Geek

32 minutes ago

• Screen Geek

Stephen King Praises "Scary" Horror Series Streaming For Free

For fans interested in finding a new horror series worth watching, it's always a good idea to look at the recommendations made by author Stephen King. In addition to his own library of classic works that include the likes of Carrie and The Shining , King often takes time to highlight the projects of other creators. Now fans can check out one 'scary' horror series recommended by Stephen King that's currently streaming. The recommendations made by King on social media platforms over the years have continued to have a life of their own, with fans consistently reviving titles mentioned by King on X or Threads. For this particular recommendation, King recommended this title in 2019, with King calling the series both 'scary' and 'involving.' In an era of streaming, those are definitely two requirements that most horror fans have on their lists, so here's the series that King suggests via X that he claims is worth watching: ' NOS4A2 : Scary? Yes. Involving? Yes,' he begins with his recommendation. 'But it's also doing something network TV can't or won't do–showing working-class people doing their jobs and trying their damndest (sometimes failing) to be decent. The best horror stories are firmly wedded to real life.' The television series NOS4A2 is based on the 2013 novel of the same name by Joe Hill, King's own son, which should naturally be an appealing concept for fans of King's works. The series itself lasted for two seasons on AMC, and while that might not seem very long, it's actually just long enough to adapt the entirety of Hill's original book. As such, fans can get a complete story out of streaming NOS4A2 , which revolves around an artist who attempts to track down an immortal being named Charlie Manx with the use of her own supernatural abilities. The series is currently available to stream via a variety of platforms, including PLEX and Xumo Play where it's currently free, as well as platforms like AMC Plus. Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for any additional recommendations from Stephen King and other titles trending on streaming platforms as we have them. For those looking to stream a complete horror story in a series format, however, NOS4A2 is certainly a good choice – especially if you're a fan of Stephen King, Joe Hill, or the novel the series is based on.

Yahoo

34 minutes ago

• Yahoo

Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton Opens Up on Calf Injury Before NBA Finals Game 7

Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton Opens Up on Calf Injury Before NBA Finals Game 7 originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton entered the team's first elimination game of these NBA Finals at home at Gainbridge Fieldhouse as a great question mark. He had injured his calf in Game 5, and did not look healthy in closing out that game, walking with a notable limp. Advertisement The question going into the win-or-go-home Game 6 for Indiana was two-fold: Would Haliburton play, and if so, would he be effective? We learned early on Thursday that the intention was that Haliburton would be on the floor. And we learned early in the game that he would, indeed, be effective. Haliburton led the Pacers to a laugher in the game, a 108-91 win that will now send the series to a Game 7 finale. Haliburton had 14 points and five assists, but was a plus-25 on the floor, as his presence was what really mattered for Indiana. After the game, he explained what went into him playing in Game 6--and what he'll carry into Game 7, injury-wise. Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) drives to the basket against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) in the first quarter during game six of the 2025 NBA Finals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images "I just look at it as I want to be out there to compete with my brothers. These are guys that I'm willing to go to war with and we've had such a special year, and we have a special bond as a group, and you know, I think I'd beat myself up if I didn't give it a chance," he said. Advertisement "I just want to be out there and fight and just had to have an honest conversation with coach (Rick Carlisle) that, you know, if I didn't look like myself and was hurting the team, like sit me down. Obviously, I want to be on the floor. But I want to win more than anything. So had an honest conversation with coach. But yeah, I want to be on the floor, and if I have the ability to, if I can -- like I said, if I can walk, I want to be out there." He will get one more chance to be out there for the Pacers. That will come Sunday in Oklahoma City for the finale. He said he knows the key for the Pacers will be putting Game 6 behind them and moving on. "Celebrate this one tonight and move on. It's done with. We did our job to take care of home court, and we have to be ready to compete in Game 7," he said. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 20, 2025, where it first appeared.