Alexander Volkov issues honest take on whether Jon Jones should be stripped of heavyweight title: "The UFC is a show business"

UFC heavyweight Alexander Volkov recently weighed in on Jon Jones delaying his fight against Tom Aspinall. The Englishman has continued his campaign for a title unification fight with Jones since securing the interim heavyweight title in November 2023.

Throughout Aspinall's campaign, Jones has remained dismissive, implying that a fight against the Brit does not benefit his legacy. 'Bones' also hinted at potentially retiring from the sport on multiple occasions.

This caused fans to start a petition to strip Jones of his heavyweight title, with over 100,000 signatures. In an interview with Red Corner MMA, 'Drago' shared his perspective on potentially relinquishing the champion's belt. He said:

"If we consider this a pure sport, probably yes, [Jones must be stripped]. But the UFC is a show business first of all. Jon Jones generates a lot of money for the organization. From a financial standpoint, he’s good for business. Even with his current status, he brings attention."

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He added:

"He's done, and is still doing, much more for the UFC than any of us. His value as a champion should be calculated not just in terms of the sport, but also in terms of his media presence."

Check out Alexander Volkov's comments below:

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Chael Sonnen expresses frustration with Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall

UFC Hall of Famer Chael Sonnen recently weighed in on the heavyweight unification fight between Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall. Although Dana White confirmed the fight, there is no official date as of yet.

Sonnen believes that fans have started to lose interest in the fight. Speaking to MMA journalist Mike Bohn, the UFC veteran said:

"People are not caring about the fight, I have different guesses why. I hypothesize that the audience doesn't want to get too behind something they are not confident they can get. I think it's part of it. I'm just telling you, as time is going on, this fight, unlike other fights, has not gotten bigger, it has gotten smaller. People are caring less."

Check out Chael Sonnen's comments below (28:50):

About the author

Sunil holds a Bachelor of Science degree in visual communication. He started his professional career in 2023 and has previously worked with FirstSportz and Levitate Studios, among other organizations.

Sunil was drawn to MMA by Conor McGregor, especially the Irishman’s crossover boxing bout with Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2017. His favorite fighter is Jorge Masvidal for his wild and unorthodox approach.

Surprisingly, ‘The Notorious’ and ‘Gamebred’ do not find a place in his Mt. Rushmore, which includes Chuck Liddell, Anderson Silva, Alex Pereira, Daniel Cormier, and Khabib Nurmagomedov. He feels ONE Championship’s Rodtang Jitmuangnon has the ability to succeed in the UFC due to his power.

Sunil is of the opinion that the UFC is not doing enough to prevent eye pokes and does not mind soccer kicks in MMA.

In his free time, he likes to watch anime and films in general. He’s also a boxing historian, having gotten into the sport watching videos of fighters like Sugar Ray Leonard and Roberto Duran.

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Edited by Sunil Krishnan