Reigning UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones, sidelined for eight months with a pectoral muscle injury, should relinquish his title to Tom Aspinall so the Brit can defend the belt and keep the division moving, former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker believes.
“Yeah, it’s not easy to leave the division for eight months, especially when you have an interim title,” the Australian said on another edition of the MMArcade podcast. “It’s not going to be easy for the UFC. At some point they’re going to have to step in and do some shenanigans that people aren’t going to like. It’s a lose-lose situation on all sides.”
“I think it would be healthier for the division if Jon Jones just gave up the title and handed it over to Aspinall to defend. Obviously, when Jones comes back, he’ll get an immediate title shot.”
Jon Jones was scheduled to make his defense against Stipe Miocic on Nov. 11 at UFC 295 in New York City, but suffered an injury and withdrew from the fight two weeks before the tournament, while Tom Aspinall claimed the interim UFC heavyweight title in the numbered event, knocking out Sergey Pavlovic at 69 seconds.
According to the UFC’s plan, Jon Jones is scheduled to make a defense against Miocic after his return, and Aspinall will face the winner of that confrontation.
Source: https://fighttime.ru/news/item/33222-robert-uittaker-sovetuet-dzhonu-dzhonsu-otkazatsya-ot-titula.html?rand=19907
