Jon Jones training scrutiny and Tom Aspinall heavyweight title push

Greg Jackson criticized the weight training of Jon Jones. He told Israel Martinez that powerlifting caused Jones to gas during his fight with Ovince Saint Preux at UFC 197. Jones rejected this during a press conference in New York. He stated he maintained a consistent speed throughout the fight and felt great. His move to the heavyweight division followed a performance against Dominick Reyes in February 2020. He felt his candle for light heavyweight blew out after that fight. He is 37 years old. He recently used stem cells to aid his physical recovery. You know how Jones manages his training intensity. His decision to focus on muscle gain has drawn scrutiny from his coaches. Jones also dealt with a Las Vegas arrest for domestic violence. His past includes a hit and run accident where he received 18 months probation. This incident also cost him the light heavyweight title. Jones has a 15-year career in the sport. He is returning to action in October after a period of inactivity following his win over Stipe Miocic at UFC 309.

Aspinall and the heavyweight stalemate

Tom Aspinall wants to unify the heavyweight title with a fight against Jon Jones. He holds an 8-1 record in the UFC. His only loss occurred in July 2022 against Curtis Blaydes due to a knee injury. Aspinall achieved a 69-second knockout of Sergei Pavlovich at Madison Square Garden. He has seven first-round finishes in his eight wins. Aspinall is 30 years old and is willing to fight Ciryl Gane or Jailton Almeida to keep moving. Aspinall says the delay is due to Jones’s side. He suggests the issue involves financial negotiations. While Aspinall pushes for a fight to avoid running two separate heavyweight divisions, Jones claims he spoke to the UFC about his plans a long time ago and told fans he has no clue why they haven’t shared them. Jones also said he made more money from Aspinall being the interim champion than Aspinall did. A petition with 180,000 signatures urges the UFC to strip Jones of his title.

Dana White said Aspinall must wait his turn. Aspinall is willing to take another fight in the meantime. Does the promotion eventually force the unification?

The UFC 313 mandate

UFC 313 in Las Vegas saw Magomed Ankalaev defeat Alex Pereira to claim the light heavyweight title. Ankalaev’s record is 21-1-1. The event included the new enforcement of the five-round rule for co-main events. This rule applied to the bout between Justin Gaethje and Rafael Fiziev. Gaethje won the fight to extend his lead to 2-0 against Fiziev. He dismissed the idea of a trilogy match with Dustin Poirier. Gaethje wants to fight Islam Makhachev for the belt. Mauricio Ruffy also achieved a knockout against King Green. This win marked Ruffy’s 11th KO in 13 fights. The fight included a spinning heel kick from Ruffy. The card also included a heavyweight bout between Curtis Blaydes and Rizvan Kuniev. Blaydes won the fight. The early prelims had Chris Gutierrez against John Castaneda. Gutierrez won the fight. Betting analysts noted that Ankalaev needs to be a wrestler for 25 minutes to win. Pereira winning by TKO or KO is at plus-odds.