There’s a lot of drama going on in the UFC heavyweight division right now. Jon Jones has been the undisputed champion since March 2023, when he beat Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 to win the vacant title. On the other hand, Tom Aspinall won the interim belt in November 2023. Since then, he has been pushing for a title unification fight. But it still hasn’t happened.
Dana White Responds to the Petition for Jon Jones To Be Stripped of the Title
After winning the undisputed title, “Bones” wanted to fight heavyweight GOAT, Stipe Miocic. However, their initial scheduled match was cancelled because the champion suffered an injury. Due to this inactivity, Aspinall was booked for an interim title match, which he won via Round 1 TKO.
Then, probably for the first time in the history of the UFC, an interim champion had to defend his title. Aspinall again won via Round 1 TKO against Curtis Blaydes. Later, in November 2024, Jones finally got to fulfill his wish to win against Miocic at UFC 309.
Aspinall has been waiting to fight Jones since he became the interim champion. Fans waited patiently for Jones vs. Miocic as it was also a once-in-a-lifetime fight. But with no news on a Jones vs. Aspinall matchup since then, people are starting to lose patience.
A petition has been created to strip Jones of the Undisputed UFC Heavyweight title, and it has gathered over 187k signatures by now. It is probably the first time that someone of a GOAT status is getting this much criticism. However, it looks like Dana White is less bothered by that.
At UFC 316’s post-fight press interview, White was asked about whether he is aware of the petition. He replied, “Every human on Earth was DMing it to me and yeah, I saw it…”
The UFC president is known for giving fans what they want, and when he was further asked about it, White said, “How many fans are there worldwide now, like what’s the number? Like 400 million or something like that? Yeah, 130 thousand people wanna see him stripped. ”
Dana White is asked if he saw the petition to strip Jon Jones. pic.twitter.com/JhxUtUBOep
— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) June 8, 2025
When asked if that number is not enough for him, he said, “No. I’m not saying that. It’s kind of f****** silly.”
It’s worth pointing out that White hasn’t given any timeline for the unification fight, and no word on whether Jones will face any consequences for staying inactive. This would likely cause more frustration among fans.
Jon Anik Has A Better Potential Update Than White
“Strip Jon Jones” has become a thing on social media and elsewhere as well. During the UFC 316 presser, UFC commentator Jon Anik faced a similar situation when the crowd started chanting those three words in unison.
After a fan asked him about the petition, Anik said, “I think a fight between Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall is much bigger if they are both champions. I think and I am hopeful that they are gonna fight in December in Las Vegas. I have no inside information.”
The crowd started chanting “STRIP JON JONES” at the #UFC316 presser 😭pic.twitter.com/K9YwvVCJBr
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) June 5, 2025
However, he also mentioned Jones’ laidback attitude, saying, “But I don’t know if Jon Jones really gives a rip if they strip him.” And he is not wrong. A few days ago, Jones tweeted that he hasn’t exercised since his Miocic fight and has already cleared his plans with UFC months ago. He believes it’s the UFC that is fooling fans by not revealing the actual happenings.
Now, it’s better if Jones vs. Aspinall happens in December. Otherwise, UFC might need to come up with a controversial decision that could invite more backlash from fans.