"Tom or vacate the belt" - Fans react after being asked by Jon Jones to play matchmaker

Jon Jones has not returned to the octagon since defeating Ciryl Gane via first-round submission to capture the vacant heavyweight title at UFC 285 in March 2023. 'Bones' had been set to defend his title against Stipe Miocic at UFC 295 last November, however, he tore the tendon connecting the pectoral muscle to the bone, and thus delaying the bout as he recovers.

While he has shared that the bout will continue as planned, the heavyweight champion took to X with a question for fans on Thursday, stating:

"Who would you guys want to see me fight the most, Alex or Tom?"

Check out Jon Jones' tweet below:

Fans had a mixed reaction to the question. @CasualMMAinc claimed that Jones should face the interim champion Tom Aspinall or vacate the title:

"Tom or vacate the belt"

@timmaiah suggested that Alex Pereira would be a better opponent:

"Alex will be a great fight. A lot of money to be made"

@VaultBoyEli believes that both the light heavyweight champion and interim heavyweight champion offer something different for 'Bones':

"I think Alex would be a more marketable and better fight for your legacy but I feel Tom would fare better especially in terms of wrestling and grappling"

@Boogerbeard1 joked that Alexander Volkanovski is a featherweight, saying:

"Alex fights at 145 you weight bully."

Check out the best fan reactions below:

Fan reactions

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Jon Jones shuts down notion that Stipe Miocic does not deserve title bout

While Tom Aspinall has angled for the next heavyweight title opportunity, Jon Jones, Stipe Miocic and UFC President and CEO Dana White have all revealed that the planned title bout will proceed as originally planned. X user @MMABoxFanatic attempted to call 'Bones' out by questioning the bout:

"Why do you think fighting a 40+ year old firefighter will do anything for your legacy"

The heavyweight champion Jones shut down the notion that Miocic should be skipped, responding:

"Yeah, screw the biggest fight of his life and all the money him and his family were supposed to make. Let’s just bump him out of the way, yeah that’s how life works."

Check out the back-and-forth between Jon Jones and the fan below:

While Aspinall has voiced his displeasure with not receiving a title opportunity, Jones and Miocic were set to face one another before the former tore the tendon that connects the pectoral muscle to the bone. His injury opened the door for Tom Aspinall to fight for the interim title against Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295, which he won by KO in Round 1.

Upon the reshuffling of UFC 295, however, Dana White made it clear that the bout would not affect the two-time heavyweight champion receiving a title shot. It appears that Aspinall could defend his interim heavyweight title at UFC 304, which rumors suggest will take place in Manchester.