Featured Image Credit: UFC
Topics: Dana White, Jon Jones, Tom Aspinall, UFC
Ryan Smart
UFC fans have criticised Dana White after he announced post-UFC 316 that Jon Jones has 'accepted' a huge unification fight against Tom Aspinall.
UFC 316 took place in Newark, New Jersey, saw reigning men's bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili defeat Sean O'Malley via submission in the third round.
After the conclusion of the fight, UFC president White took part in his traditional post-event press conference, in which he made the bombshell statement surrounding Jones and Aspinall.
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Heavyweight champion Jones has been in talks to take on Aspinall, the interim title holder, in one of the biggest unification fights in UFC history.
But there has been major doubt over whether the fight would ever happen, with Jones repeatedly stating that he does not want to face the interim champion.
Aspinall, meanwhile, claiming earlier this week that he believes his opponent has retired from the sport and will never make a comeback.
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He told a fan on Twitter earlier this week, in response to mass calls for him to be stripped of his belt: "Honestly, I believe it's been in the UFC's best interest to keep presenting me as the company's champion - not Tom."
White was asked about the matter in his press conference - and claimed that Jones has already accepted the offer to fight Aspinall.
"I've been saying it since the beginning," he began. "Jon Jones agreed to do the fight. Jon Jones was offered the deal, and accepted the deal."
But fans were less than happy with White's subsequent comments, as he appeared to contradict his earlier statement by describing any unification bout as 'Aspinall's fight'.
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"Yeah, it's Aspinall's fight," he said. "We've been talking to this kid forever about it. It's his fight.
"You can't make people fight. Jon doesn't want to fight. We can try to make a fight - we can throw things at him that inspire him to want to fight. But we'll figure it out."
In response, one fan wrote: "Nobody has an issue with that. They have an issue with him still having the belt. Strip him already."
A second said: "Nothing you can do?? Bro strip him and done."
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And a third said: "No Dana, you can't. But you can strip a champion who's unwilling to fight the number one contender who happens to be the interim champion."