Is Jon Jones destroying the UFC heavyweight division? A closer look at the messy title situation

Jon Jones currently occupies the throne in the UFC heavyweight division. But there are several worthy challengers for him to face, none moreso than interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall. With the division boasting two champions, a title unification bout has been expected to take place. However, the American fighter appears unwilling to accept a bout with Aspinall.

Jones has shared several reasons for his lack of interest in facing the interim champion. But as the months continue to pass those reasons have begun to fall on the deaf ears of fans, who have criticized the two-division champion for wasting everyone's time. The UFC's heavyweight division has struggled to find starpower in recent years, outside of Francis Ngannou, and it appears that the arrival of the consensus best fighter of all-time has not done the division any good.

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Jon Jones forces the UFC heavyweight division to fight time

With the UFC's heavyweight division having suffered slump in talent over the past decade, the emergence of several exciting contenders has pumped life back into the division. Tom Aspinall, Sergei Pavlovich and several other fighters have proven themselves to be must-see television. Veterans such as Alexander Volkov and Curtis Blaydes have rekindled their fighting form, and have both put together notable records over the past few years.

Aspinall, specifically, has displayed the level of talent that could see him go down as the best heavyweight fighter of all time. But if he doesn't compete, none of that talent will matter.

Jon Jones appears to be holding the UFC's heavyweight division hostage. He has no clear interest in facing Aspinall, and has claimed that he communicated his future plans with the promotion a "long time ago".

During a recent back-and-forth with fans on X, Jones shared this:

Aspinall has not competed since July 2024, and the interim champion has declared on several occasions that all he cares about is fighting for undisputed gold. For the Mancunian, the chance to fight Jon Jones is an added bonus. But Aspinall's prime fighting years are being wasted waiting for a fighter who appears to be done fighting, and he isn't the only one.

Alex Volkov, who is on the verge of becoming the division's highest-ranked contender, recently shared that time is of the essence for his fighting future. He recently took aim at Jones for holding the division hostage:

With the heavyweight division having suffered a lack of talent for years, the potential for Tom Aspinall and his fellow contenders to lose out on their prime fighting years due to Jon Jones' inactivity remains a real possibility.