The O2 Arena was buzzing for the brilliant UFC card. Throughout the build up to the Fight Night, one question was doing the rounds, Will the Jon Jones vs Tom Aspinall fight happen? Tom Aspinall has left no stones unturned in building up the hype for the potential fight. Jones on the other hand has maintained a safe distance from the topic.
However, Bones’ tricks aren’t working on Aspinall as he continues to push for the fight. The heavyweight star showed up at the O2 Arena. Fans were excited to see him there, but Aspinall had something else on his mind. As soon as the fan cam brought him into focus, he did what he came prepared to do.
Aspinall pulled out a rubber duck, implying that Jon Jones has been ducking him. Without actually saying a word, the 31 year old conveyed everything he wanted to. However, his action also posed a bigger question. One where Dana White’s recent comment comes under a cloud of doubt.
The 31-year-old has been honest with his supporters and those who want to see the fight. Aspinall has revealed that he can’t say with absolute clarity if the fight is happening. If it were up to him, we’d probably be looking at a forthcoming event this summer where the heavyweights would clash. Unfortunately, it’s not entirely up to him.
Aspinall has also revealed that based on his conversations with Dana White and other executives at UFC that the fight is possible. However, with him showing up the duck on camera, Dana’s recent comment about the fight being nearly done has become doubtful.
Dana White claimed that the Jon Jones vs Tom Aspinall fight is nearly confirmed
There has been a lot of drama around this subject. With Jones showing very little interest in actually facing Aspinall while the latter continues to make every media opportunity a place to plug the fight, the fans are left in a state of confusion. Amidst the increasing drama, Dana recently provided a positive update.
During a media conversation ahead of UFC London, he was asked about Jones vs Aspinall. Dana said, “I’ll tell you what I’ve been telling you since day one, the fight’s going to happen…It’s just a matter of when now and getting it signed and done and the fight will happen.” The UFC mogul went as far as claiming that we’re very close to finalizing the fight.
He said, “It’s done but it’s not done.” What he meant by that is the fight has been in the negotiation phase and while they might be close to finalizing it, it’s not at a point where details can be revealed. That’s an update that fans can live with for now.
But Aspinall showing duck on the camera also suggests that the fight is not on the table yet. We can only hope that Aspinall’s move was merely to mock his possible opponent. Because it’s time we get past the build-up face and receive an actual announcement.
Prateek is a seasoned content writer with over 2500 published articles and two+ years of experience. His passion for UFC was ignited during Conor McGregor’s meteoric rise, and closely following McGregor’s journey inspired him to bring a sharp, fan-driven perspective to his UFC coverage, blending detailed analysis with compelling storytelling.
