MMA analyst and former UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen has retracted his recent assertion that a highly anticipated heavyweight title unification bout between Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall was finalized. Just a day after claiming the fight was “agreed, all the way down to the date,” Sonnen provided an update on his YouTube channel, clarifying his previous statements.
“Okay, I might have said that,” Sonnen acknowledged, explaining that his prior belief was based on his understanding at the time. He emphasized a point he believes he previously made: “One thing I do know I told you word for word… I told you Tom Aspinall’s next fight is done, but I don’t know that it will be against Jon Jones. I then told you if Jon Jones fights again, Jon Jones’ next fight will be against Tom Aspinall. I told you that.”
Sonnen now suggests that Tom Aspinall`s next opponent is likely to be Ciryl Gane, with the fight being contested for Aspinall`s interim heavyweight championship. “The current plan right now, Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane for the interim championship,” Sonnen stated. Despite the seemingly illogical situation of an interim title fight occurring while an undisputed champion (Jones) is active, Sonnen commented on the organization`s approach: “Now, I will back the moves… our overarching theme… we fiercely adhere to the rules that we make up as we go. So, I’m on board and I like anything that ends in world championship.”
The current complex state of the UFC heavyweight division began when Francis Ngannou departed the promotion in 2023, leaving the undisputed title vacant. Jon Jones subsequently captured the title by defeating Ciryl Gane at UFC 285. However, an injury forced Jones to withdraw from a scheduled defense against Stipe Miocic, leading to the creation of an interim title, which Tom Aspinall won by defeating Alexander Volkov. Both Jones and Aspinall have since successfully defended their respective titles (Jones against Miocic, Aspinall against Curtis Blaydes). Despite Aspinall`s impressive run, Jones has consistently downplayed the possibility of a fight against him.
Sonnen indicates that if fans are ever to see the Jones vs. Aspinall matchup, Aspinall may first need another standout performance. He elaborated on the situation: “Not only are we going to have both [an interim and undisputed champion], we are going to contend for a second time the interim championship… But we’re going to do it for the first time in the presence of our undisputed champion…” Based on information from a source, Sonnen added, “Jon Jones is going to be afforded the ability to wait 180 days… Tom Aspinall is going to fight with Ciryl Gane… And now we’re going to defend an interim champion with the existence of an undisputed champion, which is against the laws of logic and the Oxford English Dictionary’s definition… but we are going to adhere to the one thing that we do consistently: We are going to closely follow the rules that we make up as we go.”
