Tom Aspinall is continuing his campaign to fight for the undisputed UFC heavyweight championship by sharing a link on Instagram to a petition urging the promotion company to strip Jon Jones of his title.
Aspinall, 32, has been interim heavyweight champion for 18 months and was passed over by Jones as his opponent for his injury comeback last November, with the 37-year-old fighting Stipe Miocic instead.
Six months later, Manchester’s Aspinall has repeatedly said he is unsure if he will fight Jones next.
Frustrated UFC fans have tried to take matters into their own hands by setting up a petition, with more than 150,000 people calling for Jones’ title to be taken off him.
Speaking from Thailand this week, Jones has continued to keep his cards close to his chest regarding his future.
“I don’t know what life holds as far as fighting and competing,” Jones said on DeepCut with VicBlends., external
“There’s a lot of great competition still in the UFC. I do view myself as more than a fighter, and being in my position, I feel like I have a lot more options than a lot of the other fighters as far as the ability to leave and return and things like that.”
Aspinall has beaten every fighter in the top five of the rankings except Frenchman Ciryl Gane, who sits at number two.
Jones enjoys teasing people on social media and said last week he had already told the UFC his plans, and was unsure why it had not shared them with the public.
The American hinted he was retired, before appearing to suggest he would be open to fighting in the UFC again.
Jones is widely considered one of, if not the best, MMA fighter of all time and has an overall record of 28 wins, one loss and one no-contest.
He became the youngest UFC champion aged 23, a two-weight champion, and is undefeated in 20 UFC fights in a row – the company’s longest unbeaten streak.
“I’m so connected to winning, it’s probably not even healthy,” Jones said.
“I see fighters that take losses and they smile, they hug their wives, ‘better luck next time’.
“If I were to ever lose I’d be devastated, angry, upset, and depressed.”
