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Jon Jones claimed the UFC’s vacant heavyweight crown in March 2023 with a dominant submission win over Ciryl Gane and later defended it against Stipe Miocic in November 2024. Since winning the belt, Jones officially secured the second-longest heavyweight title reign in UFC history on Apr. 27, reaching 785 days as champion. Having surpassed Stipe Miocic’s heavyweight title reign of 784 days, Jones trails Cain Velasquez’s 896-day reign.
This milestone, which was shared in an infographic by ESPN on various social media platforms, has been met with heavy criticism from fans and media members who argue his reign should not even be considered undisputed while Tom Aspinall holds the interim championship.
Jon JonesPhoto by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
“He has had ONE title defense. This is so shameless,” combat sports journalist Val Delwar posted in response to ESPN’s statistic on X (formerly Twitter). “Celebrating being inactive for years at a time, wow, so amazing!”
The ESPN infographic even received a “community note” arguing that Jones cannot be labeled as an undisputed champion if an interim champion exists within the division.
The controversy stems from Jones’ prolonged inactivity, having fought just twice in over two years, while Aspinall has remained active as the interim champ since November 2023. Aspinall, who knocked out Sergei Pavlovich to claim the interim belt, has repeatedly called for a unification bout. Aspinall’s frustration has become increasingly public, especially after defending his interim title against Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304.
This has led to accusations from Aspinall that Jones is avoiding the toughest current contender.
The Brit’s extended interim reign, now surpassing 500 days, has only fueled the debate over whether the UFC is prioritizing star power over competitive integrity.
Jones’ reign may be historically long, but its legitimacy is increasingly disputed—both literally and figuratively.
Continue reading...
This milestone, which was shared in an infographic by ESPN on various social media platforms, has been met with heavy criticism from fans and media members who argue his reign should not even be considered undisputed while Tom Aspinall holds the interim championship.
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Jon JonesPhoto by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
“He has had ONE title defense. This is so shameless,” combat sports journalist Val Delwar posted in response to ESPN’s statistic on X (formerly Twitter). “Celebrating being inactive for years at a time, wow, so amazing!”
The ESPN infographic even received a “community note” arguing that Jones cannot be labeled as an undisputed champion if an interim champion exists within the division.
The controversy stems from Jones’ prolonged inactivity, having fought just twice in over two years, while Aspinall has remained active as the interim champ since November 2023. Aspinall, who knocked out Sergei Pavlovich to claim the interim belt, has repeatedly called for a unification bout. Aspinall’s frustration has become increasingly public, especially after defending his interim title against Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304.
This has led to accusations from Aspinall that Jones is avoiding the toughest current contender.
The Brit’s extended interim reign, now surpassing 500 days, has only fueled the debate over whether the UFC is prioritizing star power over competitive integrity.
Jones’ reign may be historically long, but its legitimacy is increasingly disputed—both literally and figuratively.
Continue reading...
