UFC announcer believes Jon Jones will face Tom Aspinall at International Fight Week

Jon Anik is the official UFC announcer. Photo: UFC

While Jon Jones reigns supreme in the UFC heavyweight category (120,2 kg) and speaks openly about the possibility of retirement, Tom aspinall is publicly campaigning for the opportunity to unify the titles. Amid this apparent impasse, some believe that the fight will not happen, while others see the situation differently, such as Jon Anik, the official narrator of the Ultimate.

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In an interview with the North American website MMA Junkie, Anik appeared confident that the fight would take place and characterized the negotiations as a simple matter of finding a purse that is in line with Jones' aspirations.

“I think the most revealing thing is the way in which Jon Jones conducted his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan. It all comes down to what the number of Jon Jones. What is the net worth of Jon Jones [and] what number is he looking for? What is the value of the greatest of all time? I feel like the company is in a great position to make this fight and I think you have to make it in Las Vegas. You have to make it International Fight Week 2025,” he said.

Knockout of Jon Jones about Stipe Miocic (Photo: Instagram/UFC Espanol)

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Despite this, the narrator made it clear that he did not have privileged information and treated the possibility as wishful thinking.

“I have no inside information, I really don’t. You can call it informed speculation… I don’t have any inside information, but I believe this fight is going to happen. Tom aspinall could knock out Jon Jones in a minute and I don't think it would diminish the legacy. In my head, he already has 16 belts... I just want to see the Jon Jones receive and I think that this will be the driving force to carry out the fight”, he concluded.

TOM ASPINALL GETS IT DONE!!! @AspinallMMA gets the TKO in round one! #UFC295 pic.twitter.com/rduokFIDRS

- UFC (@ufc) November 12, 2023

Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall

Since the creation of the UFC interim heavyweight belt (up to 120,2 kg), the Ultimate's most noble category has been experiencing a curious situation, to say the least. While Jon Jones remains as the king of division since he won Cyryl Gane in early 2023, Tom aspinall won the provisional title by overcoming Sergei Pavlovich. Since then, both have successfully defended their titles, but unification has yet to happen.

Despite rumors of retirement, the American has stated his interest in continuing to compete in 2025, so a clash with Aspinall seems to be the next logical step.