Dana White Explains UFC Heavyweight Math
Dana White has been defending the legacy of Jon Jones a lot lately. Some might even say more than Jones is defending the title he won from Cyril Gane at UFC 285. Jones was scheduled to face Stipe Miocic at UFC 295 and the bout was scrapped when he was injured during training. The UFC created an interim title for the division which Tom Aspinall won at UFC 295 and recently defended against Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304.
When Aspinall defended the title last July, he called out Jones saying, “ I have nothing against you personally, but I just think I’m better than you. I just know I can beat you in a fight so I’m coming for it.” Which fans would like to see, but Jones has to be healthy enough to compete and Aspinall still has to earn it according to White’s view of the division.
And he might be right.
A lot is being made of the soap box White seems to stand on for Jones lately, and in speaking with longtime UFC reporter Kevin Iole, he explained why Jones vs. Miocic needs to happen before Aspinall gets his shot.
“He looks like the future of the heavyweight division,” White said of Aspinall. “But, at the same time he’s working his way up.”
Winning and defending the interim title likely has a lot of fans believing he’s already done the required work but White added more context that makes sense.
“He’s climbing up the ladder and everybody’s like ‘He deserves this and he deserves that.’ He doesn’t deserve anything. He looks great and he looks like he’s gonna be the guy. You got Stipe and Jon who have paid their dues, they’ve been here forever, they fought everybody, they fought all the fights that you could possibly fight. These guys deserve to fight each other and whoever wins that fight, I think that they owe it to Aspinall to fight him and give him the opportunity that they’ve been given.”
“You’re either going to be the guy that’s going to cement your legacy forever. Or you’re gonna hand the torch off the way the torch was handed off to you, by all the guys that came before you.”
Aspinall obviously should be fighting for the undisputed title but fans also seem to forget about the point White is making. Jones and Miocic have put their bodies on the line for years and a lot of fights to make their names in the sport. They definitely deserve to have this fight, even if it is their last. Aspinall may want the same if he fights long enough to be in their shoes.
Considering the source of the interview, call it promoter speak if you like but when you think about it like that, it’s hard to argue White’s heavyweight math.
Check out the full interview below where they address this, the UFC Antitrust case, and more:
