Dana White weighs in on Jon Jones’ latest comments on Tom Aspinall fight after UFC 309

UFC CEO Dana White made his first public remarks since Jon Jones’s viral comments about Tom Aspinall during UFC 309 media day.

Jones will defend the UFC heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 on Saturday in New York. He returns to the Octagon almost two years after submitting Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 to win the then-vacant belt.

In the lead-up to UFC 309, Jones has further explained his stance against fighting interim titleholder Aspinall with a win this weekend. He called Aspinall an ‘A**hole’ and claimed the UK star isn’t someone he’s interested in doing business with after online banter.

White, who remains hopeful he can convince Jones to stick around to fight Aspinall, reacted to Jones’ latest comments about the interim heavyweight champion.

Dana White tells Jon Jones ‘Tom Aspinall or retire’ with a win at UFC 309

In a recent appearance on The Jim Rome Show, White responded to Jones’ ‘A**hole’ remarks about Aspinall at UFC 309 media day.

Dana White: If Jon Jones wants to fight again after Saturday night, he will fight Tom Aspinall.pic.twitter.com/znLImVLExh

— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) November 14, 2024

“I think Jon will eventually come back and fight Tom Aspinall. But, if he decides Saturday night ‘That’s it, it’s over’, it’s his right to make that decision,” White said. “For anybody to say he’s ducking anybody, Jon Jones is like 37, 38 years old, fought everybody. All the best in the world in their prime, been doing it since he was 23 years old. He doesn’t duck…

“If he wins, he’ll disappear for a while and then that competitive spirit will start bubbling up again…if he doesn’t decide to retire, he will absolutely, positively fight Tom Aspinall. He’s not fighting [Alex] Pereira… if Jon Jones wants to fight again after Saturday night, he will fight Tom Aspinall.”

Aspinall is the UFC 309 backup fighter should anything happen with Jones or Miocic ahead of fight night. As of this writing, he and Jones haven’t crossed paths during fight week.

White’s ultimatum comes after Jones expressed a profound interest in facing Alex Pereira in a future super fight. Pereira and Jones met cage-side at UFC 306 and seem to be on the same page regarding a possible booking.

But, White isn’t thrilled about Jones vs. Pereira. Depending on how things play out at UFC 309, White will have some work to do to unify the UFC heavyweight championship.