In the meantime, Aspinall won the interim belt and made the rare move of defending it, which he did successfully in July 2024. Jones returned in November and stopped Miocic to retain the regular belt, setting up a unification fight with Aspinall – one to which Jones has never committed, leading fans to urge the UFC to take his title away.

Jon Jones is content lounging on the sidelines. Jones has only fought once since beating Ciryl Gane for the UFC heavyweight championship in March 2023. Amid mounting pressure to unify the heavyweight titles with interim champion Tom Aspinall, Jones claims that fighting isn't a current priority for him.

Jon Jones' game of cat and mouse continues with Tom Aspinall, the UFC, his fanbase and his increasing number of detractors.