Alexander Volkanovski Urges Jon Jones to Fight Tom Aspinall or Vacate Title

🇦🇺🇺🇸Alexander Volkanovski says that Jon Jones needs to retire:

"If you a the champion — defend your belt. It’s a responsibility. I think you need to find whoever is there. If there is an interim champ it’s a no-brainer.

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Your resume is incredible. You’re considered the greatest… pic.twitter.com/379HCHrXib

— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) June 14, 2025

Alexander Volkanovski has a message for fellow champion Jon Jones.

Jones has earned criticism throughout the world of combat sports for avoiding a fight against Tom Aspinall. Jones won the vacant heavyweight title in 2023 against Ciryl Gane but was forced out of a title defense against Stipe Miocic due to an injury. Aspinall won the interim title against Sergei Pavlovich and defended it against Curtis Blaydes as Jones stayed sidelined. 

However, Jones remained adamant about defending his title against Miocic instead of unifying the title. The matchup came to fruition in November 2024 when “Bones” defeated Miocic via third-round TKO at UFC 309. Jones hasn’t fought since and continues to remain ambiguous about fighting Aspinall, who is frustrated with the inactivity.

Volkanovski isn’t impressed with the scenario. One of the most active champs ever, Volkanovski believes it’s imperative for a reigning champ to fight an interim champ waiting in the wings. If Jones only wants big fights for paydays, “The Great” urges him to vacate the title.

“You’re the champ, you defend your belt. It’s a responsibility,” Volkanovski said on the "Overdogs" podcast. “You can’t just,‘I’m gonna sit out.’ You need to be reasonably active. You need to fight whoever’s there. If you’ve got an interim champ, it’s a no brainer… Don’t want to throw any shade, but I mean, look he’s proved himself. Everyone’s like, ‘Look what he’s done. It’s fun.’ No, not really.

“Don’t hold up the division just because. I know your resume is incredible, what you’ve done is incredible, you’re considered the greatest of all time, we get that. So if you don’t want to fight, just retire, you’re done. You want big fights, you’re gonna have to vacate the title. It’s a responsibility.”