Tom Aspinall: "The Ultimate Fighting Charity it is not” - Dan Hooker goes against the grain with Jon Jones-Tom Aspinall take

Jon Jones has been the target of much criticism since his decision to retire from MMA on June 21. Prior to his retirement, the American held the UFC heavyweight title, and fans and pundits alike were urging him to face interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall in a title unification bout. But 'Bones' shared no interest in facing the Mancunian.

The 37-year-old was accused of ducking a fight against Aspinall, and following his retirement, fans have taken to social media to slam the former two-division champion. Many felt that Jones owed it to Aspinall to face him, but not Dan Hooker, who recently shared an uncommon opinion on the saga surrounding the UFC's heavyweight division.

'The Hangman' was recently interviewed by Ariel Helwani, where he said:

"Everyone's like, 'If he knew he was going to retire, he should have retired after the [Stipe] Miocic [fight].' But why would he do that? In combat sports, the second you retire your trajectory is down. It will never go back up. He says he's not gonna retire and now he's the heavyweight champ. So for the last however long since that fight, he's getting 8 months of endorsement deals, 8 months of media, 8 months of promotion as the champion of the world."

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He continued:

"The second you retire people completely lose interest... What, is he going to not [retire] just to be nice to Tom? Again, the Ultimate Fighting Charity it is not, my friend. It's a very selfish sport."

Check out Dan Hooker discussing Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall below (24:55):

Israel Adesanya believes Jon Jones is playing games with Tom Aspinall

Tom Aspinall was officially promoted to the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion following Jon Jones' retirement from MMA. It appears that a potential clash between the pair is now well and truly in the past, but Israel Adesanya is not so certain.

He believes that Jones is playing the long game, and predicted that the former two-division champion will return to face the Mancunian. 'The Last Stylebender' was recently interviewed by Ariel Helwani, where he said:

"I think he'll fight Tom [Aspinall]. It's too much money. They offered him what $20-30 million, I heard. I think he'll come back. It'll even be bigger by the time he comes back 'cause Tom would have had like two fights or three and built up his own legacy as well."

Check out Israel Adesanya's comments on Jon Jones below (24:40):

About the author

Liam is a MMA and Boxing writer at Sportskeeda. His journey into MMA journalism began with a high school diploma in 2017, but his passion for writing led him to diverse experiences, including internships in research and writing roles and accounting work.

Liam's fascination with MMA was sparked by Conor McGregor, with Dustin Poirier's bout against Dan Hooker in 2020 sealing his love for the sport. Poirier remains Liam's favorite fighter, whom he admires for his attitude, fighting style, and persona both inside and outside the cage. He is an advocate for the removal of the 12-6 elbow rule in MMA.

Liam strives to report precise and relevant information by cross-checking his work, reaching out to relevant sources for comments, and adhering to Sportskeeda's guidelines. His work has been recognized on popular MMA platforms, with his article headlines featuring in YouTube recaps and appearing onscreen during an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience.

Outside of work, Liam enjoys playing cricket, practising Brazilian jiu-jitsu, cooking, music, and reading.

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Edited by Tejas Rathi