"Is this as close to Khabib vs. Conor as we can get?" - Fans react as Dana White names one fight he wants to see 'above all else' in the UFC in 2025

It's safe to say that the one fight MMA fans want to see more than anything next year is Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall - and Dana White totally agrees. The UFC CEO sat with Stephen A. Smith and Shannon Sharpe on ESPN's First Take and answered a few questions on the UFC and what 2025 looks like for him.

Near the end of his segment, White was asked by Smith about which fight he wanted to see "above all else" next year. The UFC president neither hesitated nor stuttered, saying:

"So I get asked this every year. And this year, it will be Aspinall-Jones. That's the biggest fight in heavyweight history and, at the end of the day, my job is to give fans what they want. And that's what the fans want."

Listen to White's comments here:

Fans are reacting to this news with diverse takes, with Brax Moore tweeting:

"Is this as close to Khabib vs Conor as we can get?"

Meanwhile, CT Patriot said:

"Dana is a great promoter. The question is where does that fight take place?"

Here are more comments:

More comments on the video. [Image credit: @ChampsRDS on X]

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Tom Aspinall shares what Dana White told him about his possible fight with Jon Jones

It appears that the Jon Jones vs Tom Aspinall fight was pretty much in the bag as early as UFC 309 mid-last month. After Jones dispatched former two-time UFC heavyweight champ Stipe Miocic with a spinning back kick, the demand for a unification bout with interim champion Tom Aspinall rose to a fever pitch.

At the event's post-fight press conference, Dana White stated that Jones vs. Aspinall will become the biggest fight of all time. In an appearance on Piers Morgan's YouTube show, Aspinall spoke on White's comments, saying:

"Well, I agree. That [Dana White's comments] took place, that interview, right after the [Jon] Jones fight. The same night [UFC 309]. And actually, right after that press conference, I had a meeting with Dana."

Aspinall added:

"So in all honesty I was expecting him to come and maybe negotiate a little bit and he literally walked into the room and said, 'It's happening.' And I said, 'Well he's [Jones is] going to want loads of money. And he said, 'I know. But it's happening. It's going to be the biggest fight in UFC history.'"

Listen to Aspinall's comments here (9:21):