"Stop calling yourself the heavyweight champion" - An injured Jon Jones gets trolled by fans as he unveils new training for the holiday season

Reigning UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones, who's currently out of action owing to an injury, has seemingly been trolled by certain sections of the MMA community.

In March 2023, the former UFC light heavyweight champion ended his three-year break from professional MMA competition and made his long-awaited heavyweight debut. Jones beat Ciryl Gane via first-round submission to capture the vacant UFC heavyweight title.

The title was vacated by then-UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in January 2023 when Ngannou chose not to re-sign with the UFC. Jones was later booked to defend the UFC heavyweight title against former UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic at UFC 295 on November 11, 2023.

Unfortunately, Jones suffered a pectoral injury, and the Miocic matchup didn't materialize. The UFC then roped in Tom Aspinall to fight Sergei Pavlovich for the interim UFC heavyweight title at UFC 295. Aspinall bested Pavlovich via first-round KO to win the interim belt.

Jones, whose injury hiatus is expected to last a few months, has now put forth an Instagram video of him training with a boxing reflex ball heading into the 2023 Holiday Season. 'Bones' praised the fun experience of the reflex ball brand and explained that it helps with hand-eye coordination, punching power control, and head movement.

Several MMA fans appeared to jibe at 'Bones' in the Instagram post's comments section. Some indicated that Tom Aspinall is the true UFC heavyweight champion, whereas others insinuated Francis Ngannou should still be regarded as the UFC heavyweight champion. One Instagram user accused Jones of evading a fight against Ngannou.

One fan alluded to Jones' alleged domestic violence issues and jabbed that he's probably training to fight his partner. Moreover, another fan implied that while Jones shouldn't call himself the heavyweight kingpin, he's the MMA G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All Time):

"Jon seriously stop calling yourself the heavyweight champion. You're fine with just introducing yourself as the MMA GOAT"

Check out the screenshots of a few fan reactions below:

Screenshots of fan reactions

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Jon Jones injury: Jon Jones makes cryptic post after Tom Aspinall's title victory

After Tom Aspinall's victory over Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295, speculations surfaced that the UFC might skip the Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic matchup and have 'Bones' face Aspinall. Nevertheless, UFC CEO Dana White clarified that when Jones returns from his injury hiatus, he'd fight Miocic next.

Regardless, many have been lobbying for UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones to face interim UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall instead of Stipe Miocic. Aspinall, for his part, has suggested that the UFC should strip Jones of the title owing to his inactivity. Meanwhile, 'Bones' added to the air of mystery surrounding his next move with a cryptic gratitude tweet a day after Aspinall's title win:

"God is good when I’m winning world championships, God is also good when I miss out on nights like last night sitting on the sideline injured. I’m just grateful for this life he’s allowed me to live. Blinders on, thank you Jesus"