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Jon Jones' Next UFC Fight Expected To Be In Summer 2025, Dana White Says

Mike Chiari
Mar 5, 2025
UFC 309: Jones v Miocic - Press Conference

A tentative timeline has been set for UFC heavyweight champion Jon "Bones" Jones' return to the Octagon.

During an appearance Wednesday on ESPN's First Take (h/t MMAFighting.com's Damon Martin), UFC President Dana White responded, "This summer," after being asked when he expects Jones to fight next.

Jones, 37, last fought at UFC 309 in November when he beat Stipe Miocic by third-round technical knockout to retain the heavyweight title.

After dominating the light heavyweight division as a two-time champion, Jones made his long-awaited move to the heavyweight division in 2023.

Following Francis Ngannou's departure from UFC, Jones and Ciryl Gane clashed at UFC 285 in March 2023 for the vacant UFC world heavyweight title.

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Jones made quick work of Gane, submitting him with a guillotine choke in the first round to add another major championship to his résumé.

While his first title defense was supposed to be against Miocic at UFC 295 in November 2023, Jones had to pull out of the fight due to a torn pectoral tendon.

Jones vs. Miocic finally became a reality one year later at UFC 309, and Jones delivered with a victory over the two-time UFC heavyweight champ, who was fighting for the first time since 2021.

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With that win, Jones improved to 28-1 with one no contest in his illustrious career. His only loss came against Matt Hamill in 2009 via disqualification due to illegal elbows.

Although it isn't entirely clear yet who Jones' opponent will be this coming summer, Tom Aspinall stands out as the most obvious option.

During Jones' injury absence, Aspinall beat Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295 to become the interim UFC heavyweight champion, and he successfully defended the interim title against Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 back in July.

A Jones vs. Aspinall unification bout would likely do big business for UFC, and it could represent one of the most significant challenges of Jones' legendary career.

Video: Alex Pereira Challenges Magomed Ankalaev to $200K Bet for UFC 313 Title Fight

Timothy Rapp
Mar 3, 2025
UFC 307: Pereira v Rountree Jr.

Alex Pereira has called out Magomed Ankalaev.

Ahead of their light heavyweight title fight at UFC 313 this upcoming Saturday at Nevada's T-Mobile Arena, Pereira issued a challenge to Ankalaev—the loser of the fight should donate $200,000 to charities supporting children with cancer:

Pereira, 37, will be defending his title for the fourth time after winning it at UFC 295 in Nov. 2023 over Jiří Procházka. His defense has included victories over Jamahal Hill, the rematch against Procházka and his most recent bout against Khalil Rountree Jr. His only loss in the UFC came against Israel Adesanya back in 2023, costing him the middleweight title, and he's now 12-2 in his professional career overall.

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Ankalaev, 32, is 19-1-1 (1) in his professional career, most recently defeating Aleksandar Rakić at UFC 308 by decision.

As for the trash talk leading up to the fight, the two have not held back. Ankalaev—who has been going after Pereira for quite some time now—had something to say over the weekend on social media:

Pereira, predictably, did not back down:

Now, Pereira wants the pair to put their money where their proverbial mouths are to help a good cause. It's a touch of wholesome ahead of what promises to be a savage fight.

Jon Jones Not Favored vs. Aspinall in Latest Betting Odds For Possible UFC Title Fight

Doric Sam
Feb 26, 2025
UFC 309: Jones v Miocic

A highly anticipated title unification fight between UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones and interim champion Tom Aspinall has yet to be scheduled, but prognosticators made a surprising choice for who would be favored in the hypothetical matchup.

DraftKings Sportsbook lists Aspinall as a -142 favorite against Jones, who is a +120 underdog:

The UFC has struggled to lock down a fight between Jones and Aspinall for various reasons. UFC president Dana White declared in December that the matchup was "100 percent [guaranteed]," but later told The Mac Life in January, "If we don’t get the fight done, we move on, and we make another fight."

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However, White provided a sliver of optimism during an Instagram live session last week when he responded to fan comments predicting that the fight would never be scheduled by saying, "Absolutely, it will happen."

Jones, who is arguably the greatest MMA fighter of all time, has long resisted the possibility of fighting Aspinall, a fast-rising star whose best days are still ahead of him. Jones claimed that a fight against the 31-year-old would do little to affect his overall legacy in the UFC.

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"I know it’s hard for a lot of you guys to grasp, but based on his résumé today, fighting and beating him would change nothing about my legacy. I would literally be in the same position I am now. The Goat," Jones wrote on social media in November.

For his part, Aspinall has maintained his desire to step into the Octagon against the 37-year-old. He said last month that he's "said yes to the fight" but was "just waiting for his side now, and the UFC to sort it out."

Fans are certainly hoping that the betting odds being updated on Wednesday is a positive sign that the fight between Jones and Aspinall is getting closer to becoming a reality.

Ilia Topuria Vacates Title, Volkanovski-Lopes Fight for Belt; UFC 315 Card Revealed

Andrew Peters
Feb 19, 2025
UFC 308: Topuria v Holloway

After winning the UFC featherweight title last year and successfully defending it in October, Ilia Topuria will vacate the undisputed title.

UFC President Dana White announced Wednesday that Topuria plans to move up to the lightweight division. With Topuria giving up the title, Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes will fight to be the new featherweight champion at UFC 314 in Miami on April 12.

The UFC also revealed that the card for UFC 315 in May will feature two title fights. The first will be between Belal Muhammad and Jack Della Maddalena for the world welterweight title and the other between Valentina Shevchenko and Manon Fiorot for the world flyweight championship.

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The UFC also announced Wednesday that Leon Edwards will take on Sean Brady in a welterweight bout at UFC London next month.

The card at UFC 314 will also feature former two-division Bellator champion Patricio Pitbull, who will make his UFC debut against Yair Rodriguez.

Here's a look at the full card for UFC 314:

Topuria claimed the featherweight title just over a year ago when he defeated Volkanovski at UFC 298. Later in 2024, he beat Max Holloway at UFC 308 to defend the title.

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According to Uncrowned's Drake Riggs, White said that Topuria "feels as if he cemented his legacy at 145 pounds and his body can no longer make the featherweight limit."

With the featherweight title vacated, Topuria will begin his journey in the lightweight division, where Islam Makhachev holds the crown.

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Topuria moving on from the division gives Volkanovski a chance to reclaim the featherweight title. He won the title in 2019 and defended it four times before losing to Topuria. Lopes, who made his UFC debut in 2023, has never held the featherweight title and will get his first chance to compete for the championship when he faces Volkanovski.

At UFC 315, Muhammad will have the first chance to defend his welterweight title. He won the welterweight championship last summer when he defeated Edwards. Della Maddalena, meanwhile, will compete for the welterweight championship for the first time in his career.

Shevchenko lost the flyweight title in 2023 but reclaimed it back in September 2024 when she beat Alexa Grasso. She will be defending the title for the first time against Fiorot, who will be competing in her first UFC championship match.

Edwards' fight against Brady will be his first since losing his welterweight championship to Muhammad last year. Brady is coming off back-to-back wins against Kelvin Gastelum and Gilbert Burns.