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Jon Jones has not competed since last March when he defeated Ciryl Gane via first-round submission at UFC 285 to capture the vacant heavyweight title. 'Bones' appeared set to defend his title for the first time against Stipe Miocic at UFC 295 last November, however, he was forced to withdraw from the bout after tearing the tendon connecting the pectoral muscle to the bone.
The pair have been re-scheduled to clash at UFC 309 in November. Daniel Cormier, who has enjoyed rivalries with both, recently expressed that he doesn't believe either fighter would face interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall, who is set to weigh in as the backup fighter. Speaking to guest Ben Askren on his self-titled YouTube channel, the UFC Hall of Famer stated:
"Aspinall is officially the backup fighter, but what happens, Ben, if somebody gets hurt? Which one of those dudes is going to say, 'okay, I'll fight Tom Aspinall'. Which one of them will actually stay in the fight? Come on, dude. [Sergei] Pavlovich was the backup fighter in New York City when Jones and Stipe were scheduled to fight the first time. Jones got hurt. Stipe pulled out. Aspinall fought against Pavlovich."
Cormier continued:
"There is no guarantee that because he's the backup fighter somebody is going to fight him. I would almost guess that if someone gets hurt, Tom Aspinall stays on the card and he fights neither one of those guys... Neither one of those guys are fighting Tom Aspinall if they don't have to. It'll be Tom Aspinall versus Ciryl Gane or somebody for the interim championship because those guys are fighting each other and nobody else."
Check out Daniel Cormier's comments on Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic facing Tom Aspinall below (4:12):
Aspinall was able to claim the interim heavyweight title and defend it once as Jones recovered from his injury. While he has publicly angled for the bout, the UFC never appeared interested in canceling the already-signed contract between 'Bones' and Miocic.
Tom Aspinall targets Jon Jones and Dana White
Tom Aspinall's calls for the opportunity to attempt to unify the heavyweight title fell on empty ears. The No. 1-ranked heavyweight responded by targeting Jon Jones and UFC CEO Dana White.
When asked who would leave first if the three of them were locked in a room together, Aspinall claimed:
"Depends what's going on in there, doesn't it? Depends what's going on. What are they up to? Dana and Jon. Because I might leave if them two are up to something. I don't know. Don't know. It's a bit of a strange question. I'm not sure."
Check out Tom Aspinall's comments on Jon Jones and Dana White below (12:45):
Jones has shared that UFC 309 will likely mark the end of his illustrious mixed martial arts career. Aspinall has attempted to convince 'Bones' to delay his retirement plans, however, it is unclear if he will be successful.
