Online Petition to Strip Jon Jones of UFC Title Exceeds 125,000 Signatures

There is growing support behind the movement to remove Jon Jones from his position as UFC heavyweight champion.

As of Wednesday afternoon, an online petition “to strip Jon Jones of the Undisputed UFC Heavyweight Belt” had garnered more than 125,000 signatures on Change.org. The statement on the petition page is as follows:

Jon Jones is now the longest reigning champion in UFC heavyweight history and has only fought [two] times in that period.  There is a clear interim champion, Tom Aspinall, who has defended his interim championship belt. Aspinall is ready to fight Jones. Jones refuses to fight him. Therefore, we as fans must let Dana White know: It is time to strip Jon Jones of the heavyweight title. He clearly has no intentions of fighting anytime soon. 

Jones claimed the vacant heavyweight crown with a submission of Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 in March 2023. Even after Tom Aspinall captured the interim heavyweight belt in Jones’ injury absence, “Bones” insisted on a legacy fight against Stipe Miocic, which he won via third-round TKO at UFC 309 this past November.

After that victory, Jones indicated that it would take an extremely lucrative payday to get him to accept a fight against Aspinall. Since then, UFC CEO Dana White has since expressed confidence that the fight will happen, but Aspinall and fans have grown frustrated with the lack of updates on the proposed bout.

Jones hasn’t seemed concerned about the backlash in his responses on social media, responding to detractors that he’s “living his best life.”

“Stripped? Lol, do I come across as the type of person who cares about things like that,” Jones recently wrote on X.

Stripped? Lol do I come across as the type of person who cares about things like that ? https://t.co/wZANsZgEki

— Jonny Meat (@JonnyBones) May 19, 2025

Jones has also indicated that he is in no hurry to fight when asked about retirement.

I don’t know if I wanna call it retired, I feel like I’ll always have an ability to pop out and show em,” he wrote. “I’ve had many breaks throughout my career, my identity outside of fighting is well intact. I’m genuinely enjoying life, I’m growing in different way.”

I don’t know if I wanna call it retired, I feel like I’ll always have an ability to pop out and show em. I’ve had many breaks throughout my career, my identity outside of fighting is well intact. I’m genuinely enjoying life, I’m growing in different ways. https://t.co/XuH1diQVr1

— Jonny Meat (@JonnyBones) May 21, 2025

While the petition is indicative of the growing discontent surrounding the status of the UFC’s heavyweight division, it isn’t likely to have an impact on the promotion’s decision making.

However, longtime Jones rival Daniel Cormier believes “Bones” will eventually accept the fight because his ego won’t allow him to vacate the belt.

"I don't know that he vacates without fighting him because I think the visual and the lasting thought would be that 'he ran from him,' and I don't know his ego could handle that he ran from someone," Cormier said on the "Funky and the Champ" show with Ben Askren. "The idea that people would think he is afraid means more to him than going out there and fighting him and taking the chance.

"Especially when there's a real possibility that he just outclasses Tom Aspinall. You don't know. I think that he will fight him. I don't think they'll need to strip him, I think he'll fight him. He could walk away and go, 'I'm the best, I don't need to do anything else.' The idea that he ran is going to be too strong of a pull for him as he goes into the next phase of his career."