Tom Aspinall confirms first title defence is signed as Dana White shuts down Jon Jones’s return

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Just when it appeared that the Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall saga had reached its conclusion, things have once again been thrown into doubt.

For months, there had been back-and-forth between Aspinall and Jones. Eventually, UFC boss Dana White declared the saga over after Jones announced his retirement from the sport.

But just a few weeks later, Jones revealed he’d re-entered the drug testing pool after Donald Trump announced plans to host a UFC event on White House grounds in 2026.

Jones then stated he’d fight whoever held the heavyweight title on July 4th – and now it’s Aspinall standing as the undisputed champion.

Tom Aspinall’s first UFC title defence confirmed, with Jon Jones left out

But while Jon Jones has made it clear he wants to fight at the White House event, Dana White seemed to close that door after UFC 318, saying he can’t trust the former champion.

That statement came shortly after White had hinted fans might see both Jones and Conor McGregor on the same card, adding fuel to an already highly anticipated event.

Jones didn’t take kindly to those remarks. He responded later that day, making it clear he still plans to be ready for whatever comes his way.

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Meanwhile, just a day after White’s comments, Tom Aspinall announced that his first title defence is now set following discussions with the UFC.

“Yes (my next fight is signed and locked in) it is. As far as signed, I can’t remember the last time that I physically signed a contract, they just ask me and I say yes and that’s it,” Aspinall told UFC on Eurosport.

“Usually I sign the contract on fight week. Contracts actually don’t mean too much – the UFC ask you, you say yes; the verbal contract is all anybody needs from me.”

Aspinall suspects Alex Pereira’s camp is dropping hints about a move to heavyweight

It’s still not clear who Tom Aspinall will face in his first title defence, but Ciryl Gane and Alexander Volkov appear to be the leading candidates at this stage.

Meanwhile, former UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira has been dropping hints about a potential move up to heavyweight, which has caught the attention of fans.

“The guy and his team know what they’re doing on social media, they know how to make headlines which is good. I think as far as I’m aware, that’s quite normal for him and bigger light heavyweights to get up to 240-250lbs… Maybe he’s teasing it,” Aspinall continued.