The UFC Heavyweight Division finally has clarity, because Jon Jones officially retired.
The weight class had been in a period of uncertainty since Jones defeated Miocic on UFC 309 last November.
Despite the presence of an interim title holder in Tom Aspinall, Jones publicly rejected him to unite the titles.
That led to anger and frustration of fans among the MMA masses, culminating in a viral petition in which the UFC was called to strip Jones.
Well, after months of 'trolls' and back and forth, fans finally have their answer to Jones vs Aspinall.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Dana White announces Jon Jones' pension, Tom Aspinall elevates to undisputed UFC champion
During his press conference after the debut event of the UFC in Baku, Dana White officially announced the fate of the heavyweight division.
Although he had previously tried to reassure fans who doubted the dedication of Jones to build a heavyweight inheritance by combating the dangerous Aspinall, the UFC -CEO did not succeed in seducing the goat candidate back to the cage for a final outing.
White revealed that Jones called him to confirm his official decision to give up the heavyweight gold of the UFC and retire, which brought an end to a tumultuous period in the weight class that did not secure exactly the most precious farewell for Jones.
“Jon Jones called us last night and retired,” said White. “Jon Jones is officially retired.
“Tom Aspinall is the heavyweight champion of the UFC.”
The undisputed reign of Tom Aspinall starts
White's announcement means that Aspinall has finally realized his dream to become the undisputed UFC Heavyweight Champion.
The English heavyweight had held the interim belt for 19 months, after earning it in November 2023 with a knockout from the first round against Sergei Pavlovich.
Aspinall was made to defend the interim gold during the early days of Jones, reject him as an opponent, because he demanded his revenge on Curtis Blaydes for two years from an injury that brought their main event in London to an end.
The fan favorite Brit will now look ahead to the first challenge for his reign, which is expected to be one of Ciryl Gane, Jilton Almeida or Alexander Volkov.