"Strip Jon Jones" - Fans react as Tom Aspinall drops UFC 300 statement, discloses "online flirting" with Alex Pereira led to nothing

UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall recently commented on his potential bout against light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira, stating that there has been no progress on that front.

Aspinall also disclosed that he was eager to take on the former heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic and that he had received an offer for a bout at UFC 300. However, Miocic snubbed the offer just one hour later in favor of a fight against Jon Jones sometime later this year.

During a recent appearance on The MMA Hour, Aspinall spoke to Ariel Helwani about his potential fight against Miocic at UFC 300. He said:

''They offered me Stipe, and I was like, of course, and like one hour later, they came back and were like, no, Stipe just wants to fight Jones.''

Catch Tom Aspinall's comments below (10.55):

In the same interview, Aspinall discussed a possible fight against Pereira. He said:

''When I started hearing rumors about that, me and Alex, we did a little bit of online flirting back and forward. But we have a couple of mutual friends, and it came to light that Alex isn’t gonna move up to heavyweight yet. I respect Alex, respect his decision. He’s a champion in his own right.''

Fans soon rushed to the comments section to share their reactions.

One fan wrote:

''Very disappointing for S not to accept''

Another fan wrote:

''Stipe never wants to fight, worse than Conor.''

Criticizing Jones, one fan wrote:

''Strip Jon Jones since he’d rather tackle football players and play pickleball against Stipe Miocic than actually defend his belt! And have AspinallMMA headline UFC 300 as the Heavyweight Champ against a legitimate contender.''

Check out more reactions below:

Screenshot of fan reactions to Championship Rounds' post on X

Aspinall isn't ruling out making an appearance at the UFC 300, which is still without a headliner.

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Tom Aspinall offers to help Anthony Joshua train for Francis Ngannou boxing match

Tom Aspinall recently offered to help Anthony Joshua prepare for his upcoming boxing fight against Francis Ngannou.

'AJ' will face Ngannou on March 8 in Saudi Arabia, with the winner potentially earning an undisputed heavyweight world championship shot.

In an interview with Matchroom Boxing, Aspinall stated that he'd be happy to help Joshua prepare for a boxing match against an MMA fighter and said:

''If Joshua needs help, give me a call, and I’ll be there. Boxers are used to fighting boxers, so they know the patterns of a boxer. The patterns, movement, and thought process of a boxer. In MMA, we’re doing different stuff than a standard boxer would.''

Catch Tom Aspinall's comments below: