Dana White assures he will 'figure this out' with Jones-Aspinall, makes massive claim

UFC CEO Dana White has been briefly caught up to speed on the whole saga that is the all-but-inevitable heavyweight unification fight between Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall.

The public social media banter between the two has reached White, who flew from St. Louis to Newark to catch UFC 316 alongside President Donald Trump Saturday night.

White laid out what’s really going on in what he dubs “the process,” as no formal announcement has been made from the promotion regarding a would-be fight.

Dana White Rips Jon Jones' Social Media Tirade

Jon Jones has publicly stated his disinterest in the figh — Nov 16, 2024; New York, NY, USA; Jon Jones (red gloves) celebrates defeating Stipe Miocoic (blue gloves) in the heavyweight bout during UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

White was not pleased to hear Jones’ demands about his current status as champion either.

“He said he's ready to vacate the belt? F*cking crazy," White told reporters. “I've been busy. I haven't been keeping up with the gossip. He's either back today or came back yesterday or whenever. He was in Thailand. He's home. We'll be home tonight. Tuesday, we'll figure this out."

White said no other fights make sense for Jones except the interim UFC Heavyweight Champion in Aspinall. Not even his former lineal champion Francis Ngannou, whose coach publicly expressed the benefit of his fighter returning to MMA’s biggest promotion.

Dana White Clarifies Tom Aspinall's Position

Tom Aspinall is still waiting for Jon Jone — Nov 11, 2023; New York, NY, USA; Tom Aspinall (blue gloves) reacts to beating Sergei Pavlovich (red gloves) during UFC 295 at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

“It's Aspinall's fight," White said. "I mean, we've been talking to this kid forever about it. It's his fight. Listen, you can't make people fight. If Jon doesn't want to fight, we can't make him fight.”

White did not provide a timeline for when Jones-Aspinall could be booked, but clarified that a heavyweight title fight will occur in some fashion.

“We can try to make him fight,” White said. “We can throw things at him that want to inspire him to fight. We'll figure it out. ... I don't have Ngannou under contract and Aspinall is the guy."

White did not sign the now-viral petition, calling it “silly” and dismissing it as a factor in negotiations.

Nevertheless, White and Co. have some work to do and answers to seek out. Either way, one thing is abundantly clear, he said.

"Jon Jones agreed to do the fight," White said. "Jon Jones was offered the deal and accepted the deal."

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