A petition to strip Jon Jones of the UFC heavyweight title already got his endorsement when he joked that he hoped the online effort ended up with 200,000 signatures, but in reality, he probably doesn’t care much about those calls to take away his championship.
That’s according to veteran UFC play-by-play man Jon Anik, who was asked about the petition that’s been gaining interest as delays in booking Jones against interim champion Tom Aspinall have dragged on for months. Aspinall went so far as to congratulate Jones on his retirement and crown himself the undisputed heavyweight champion, even though neither are actually true.
Jones is still holding onto the belt, and he’s consistently teased his return to action, which is why Anik doesn’t buy that the fighter many consider as the greatest of all time is sweating some online petition.
“So I think a fight between Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall is bigger if they are both champions,” Anik said during the UFC 316 pre-fight press conference. “I’m hopeful they’re going to fight in December in Las Vegas. I have no inside information.
“But I don’t know that Jon Jones really gives a rip if they strip him of the heavyweight championship. He’s still going to fight Tom, hopefully, and it’s still going to be a bag.”
Jon Anik: ‘I don’t know that Jon Jones really gives a rip if they strip him of the heavyweight championship’
Jon Anik doesn’t buy that Jon Jones being stripped of the UFC heavyweight title is going to stop him from potentially pursuing a fight with Tom Aspinall but he knows a champion vs. champion matchup probably means more to the promotion
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