Jon Jones has spoken out for the first time since it was revealed that he had pulled out of a heavyweight title unification fight with Tom Aspinall at UFC 317.
After over a year of anticipation, UFC fans were excited to hear reports that heavyweight champions Jones and interim champion Aspinall had finally agreed to fight each other in the octagon this summer.
However, just days later UFC legend Chael Sonnen revealed the shocking news that Jones had pulled out of the fight to spend six months preparing, while Aspinall would defend his interim belt in a fight with Ciryl Gane.
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Although Aspinall is yet to speak out since the news broke, Jones has taken to social media to break his silence.
Ever since Aspinall claimed the interim heavyweight title with a first round knockout win over the formidable Sergei Pavlovich in November 2023, fans and UFC officials have called for a title unification bout with Jones.
Instead, Jones decided to take a fight with former champion Stipe Miocic in November, while Aspinall was forced to defend his interim belt, something that has happened only a handful of times in the UFC's history.
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Although 'Bones' has previously spoken out against fans accusing him of ducking the fight with Aspinall, on this occasion it seems that the heavyweight champion is ignoring the reports, as his latest social media post failed to address the news.
Taking to Instagram, Jones thanked US President Donald Trump gifting him a unique coin commemorating his two terms in office.
In a video showing off the coin, the MMA legend said: "Oh, I love this, guys. Albuquerque, New Mexico. Some of the most beautiful skies, beautiful views.
"Speaking about beauty, I wanted to give a shout-out to our 45th and 47th President of the United States, Mr. Donald Trump, for giving me this beautiful chalice coin.
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"I’ve had the privilege to meet some pretty amazing American people. I’ve got these coins for some of our country’s best. But this one has to top them all.
"From the President himself to my mailbox. Great honor. Thank you for this beautiful gift. It will be mounted in the house.”
Trump is clearly a big fan of the UFC heavyweight champion, and was spotted ringside for Jones' dominant win over Miocic at Madison Square Garden last year.
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After picking up a third round KO over his opponent, Jones paid respect to the president by celebrating with Trump's signature YMCA dance, before pointing at him in the crowd.
In return, Trump invited Jones to his inauguration in Washing DC in February, alongside several other big names in the world combat sports such as Dana White, Mike Tyson and Conor McGregor.
Topics: Jon Jones, Tom Aspinall, UFC, MMA, Donald Trump
Ben McCrum