Days after viral UFC title petition, Jon Jones faces threat of another mass social media campaign

Jon Jones has another situation to worry about following a title petition, which became viral among the netizens. For context, a petition was started last month to strip Jones of the heavyweight title.

After winning the vacant heavyweight throne, Jones suffered a pectoral injury that kept him away from the octagon for over a year. As a result, Tom Aspinall became the interim champion by securing an opening-round knockout win over Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295.

Upon his recovery, Jones rejected Aspinall's callout for a title unification bout and instead defended his title against former champion Stipe Miocic at UFC 309, knocking the latter out in the third round.

Many in the MMA community have chastised Jones for dismissing Aspinall on several occasions, accusing him of avoiding a fight with the British fighter. This led to a petition on Change.org with over 175,000 signatures, calling for 'Bones' to be stripped of the 265-pound belt.

Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more

Unfortunately, Jones might see a decline in his followers as many are planning to unfollow him across all social media platforms. An X user named @DovySimuMMA shared an Instagram post, which said:

''MASS UNFOLLOW, on June 6th, 2025 we as MMA fans are going to mass unfollow Jon Jones on all social media platforms. Spread the word''

Expand Tweet

The aforementioned situation might change given Jones' recent remarks on his return. The reigning champion attended a fight seminar in Phuket, Thailand, where he was asked about the timeline of a potential clash with Aspinall.

In response, the 37-year-old revealed he and Aspinall were waiting for the official announcement from the promotion, saying:

''I was waiting for it. The UFC, I, and Tom, we’ve all got a lot of stuff happening behind the scenes. They’re one of the biggest organizations in sports. Right now, Tom and I have agreed to wait for the UFC to make their announcements. So, legally I can’t really talk about it.”

Check out Jon Jones' comments below (via Happy Punch's X post):

Expand Tweet

Jon Jones takes a dig at Tom Aspinall

Jon Jones was pleased to see so many UK fans attending his seminar in Phuket, Thailand. In a recent X post, Jones jokingly thanked Tom Aspinall for the free promotion among his following.

''Just wrapped up the biggest seminar in Phuket history. Half the crowd flew in from the UK -- How wild is that?! Massive shout out to my guy Tom [Aspinall] for all the free promo... Couldn't have done it without you. Seriously though, I'm beyond grateful for this brand new UK following. You guys showed up with so much love and energy''

Expand Tweet

About the author

Swagat is a dynamic MMA writer with a total experience of a little less than a year, which includes time in retail and sports journalism. He holds an MBA degree.

Swagat fell in love with the sport after watching the iconic grudge match between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier at UFC 182 in early 2015. Nate Diaz holds a special place in his heart for the Stockton native’s entertaining fan-friendly style and ability to deliver exciting fights regardless of the opponent.

In terms of rule changes in MMA, Swagat advocates for making scores public after each round, adding transparency to judging decisions.

Swagat prioritizes accuracy and relevance while writing and conducts thorough research to ensure the content is fresh and reliable.

He enjoys playing football and painting during his free time.

Know More

Follow One Championship News, Schedule & Results at Sportskeeda.

Edited by Swagat Kumar Jena