Jones has repeatedly denounced Aspinall as a worthy challenger, instead proposing fights with more notable opponents including light heavyweight Alex Pereira and Francis Ngannou, the latter of whom isn't under UFC contract. A fan petition demanding that Jones be stripped has received nearly 200,000 signatures .

The UFC CEO has always acknowledged that the current UFC heavyweight champion has always been tough to deal with in negotiations, but White is now reaching the point of moving on from a potential title unification bout between Jones and interim champion Tom Aspinall.

The voices calling for Jon Jones to give up the UFC heavyweight title are getting louder and harder to ignore. Ever since Jones beat Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 to make his first defence of the belt, the division has been stuck in a holding pattern.