Jon Jones is not convinced by an 185,000-copy petition that calls him to leave his belt and wants more from fans.
The legendary two-way champion Jones has not fought since his UFC 309 wins on Stipe Miocic in November, despite an imminent challenge from interim champion Tom Aspinall. Instead, he has chosen to avoid the fight and now discusses with retirement, or even possible fights with other opponents.
Fans have merged to support Aspinall, who has always shown that he is haunting Jones' belt, and not necessarily only that fight. More than 185,000 have signed a petition to rid the American of his title, whereby the project can reach 200,000 registrations on schedule.
Jon Jones Goads fans about petition to rid him of his UFC title
Jon Jones is sharply aware of the hysteria about his current status in the heavyweight division while he is approaching a year since his first defense. He previously referred to the petition and again took the chance to mock fans about it this time.
“Instead of signing a petition, I need at least 200 Essays of five pages of TA fans around the world,” Jones joked in a tweet that mocked the now 185,000-copy movement. “Double Spaced, MLA format. Convince me. My team will choose their favorites and contact you … finally.”
Jon Jones speaks with Joe Rogan after beating Stipe Miocic on UFC 309. Credit: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
He then concluded fans even further by suggesting that he could experience a recurring Francis Ngannou, who only had one MMA fight in the boxing ring in two and a half years after a short period. “I hear that Francis Ngannou is still interested,” he wrote. 'Now we are talking.
“That is a really super fight. A collision of champions, not just hype. He holds the UFC belt, I have defended mine for more than ten years. Two kings of different roads.
“Not only one legend with a mouth is now called, but two real legacies collide. That is the kind of fight that actually adds something special to my story. At least from my point of view.”
Jon Jones had one defense of his UFC belt in almost three years
It has been an interesting few years in the life of Jon Jones, especially since winning the heavyweight title. Unfortunately he was unable to deduct Francis Ngannou because of the cameraer who left the promotion with the belt, so he had to settle for an empty title and Ciryl Gane.
He destroyed the French challenger within a few minutes and continued stealing Miocic, but a disaster struck when a training injury finally cost him a year of his career. He eventually fought against Miocic, but in the meantime Tom Aspinall had emerged as an interim champion – and a much formidable competition.
Jones seems to be very interested in combating Aspinall, which apparently gives Alex Pereira or Nganannou preferred. However, there is relentless pressure from fans and the UFC buyer for him to fight against the Brit, which means that he could be forced to retire.