Latest news with #HeavyweightChampionship
The Sun
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Jon Jones leaves UFC fans in a tizzy three-word U-turn after Dana White's lying claim over Tom Aspinall fight
JON JONES has left UFC fans in a tizzy following an apparent U-turn on a fight with Tom Aspinall. The former pound-for-pound king walked away from the biggest payday of his career and a historic heavyweight title unification bout with the Brit last month when he announced his retirement. 6 6 6 Jones ' retirement, however, lasted less than two weeks as he has re-entered the UFC 's drug testing pool. And he's seemingly now entertaining the prospect of fighting Aspinall, which he repeatedly poo-pooed ever since the Brit became the interim king of the heavyweights in November 2023. After seeing an AI-mocked-up photo of himself on the cage and a fallen Aspinall on the octagon canvas at Donald Trump 's proposed UFC White House card, Jones commented: "I like this." Jones' comment sent MMA fans into a frenzy, with one saying: "He don't want to fight, [he] just likes the attention." Another said: "Nobody cares anymore, you refused to fight. Enjoy your retirement." And another said: "This fool has wasted enough of everyone's [time]. Ignore him." One remarked: "This man is relentless in pushing the limits of delusion lol." Another chimed in: "That's cool, he can troll as much as he wants WITHOUT the belt." JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS 6 Jones' vacating of the heavyweight title and subsequent retirement led to Wigan warrior Aspinall being elevated from interim to undisputed champion. In the immediate aftermath of Jones' retirement, UFC supremo Dana White doubled down on claims that the Hall of Famer "agreed" to fight Aspinall. Tom Aspinall Fires Not So Subtle Dig At Jon Jones After UFC Retirement Jones denied that notion, insisting he retired LAST NOVEMBER after his title defence against Stipe Miocic and told the UFC brass of his decision. White hit back at that claim late last month when asked by SunSport, saying: "That's not true. "I'm telling you the truth. Believe who you want to believe." 6 6 Just hours after Jones' hanging up of the gloves, it emerged that the former two-division champion had been charged with fleeing the scene of an accident in New Mexico in February. An "intoxicated" woman, who was "lacking clothing from the waist down", found at the scene claimed Jones was the driver of the vehicle. Jones, who allegedly alluded to threats of violence while on the phone to police at the scene, has vehemently denied the allegation and insisted the woman found in the car drove away from his house while intoxicated.
Indian Express
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
WWE RAW: Seth Rollins reveals his ‘endgame' two days after John Cena's ‘pipe-bomb' promo, fans call him repetitive and underwhelming
A lot of what happens in the WWE is dependent on the various segments and promos that the stars cut during their buildup to a fight. Skill on the mic is as important as your skill in the ring, and sometimes maybe even more, and hence a lot of wrestlers who have great in-ring talent but poor mic skills keep falling through the cracks in the system. In the past few weeks, there have been some great promos cut by WWE superstars, including John Cena, Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton. However, last night on Monday Night Raw, Seth Rollins came out with a segment of his own, and fans are calling out the star and the company for regurgitating material that has already been used. Seth walked out with his entire clique, consisting of Paul Heyman, Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed, with the MITB (Money in the Bank) briefcase securely being held by Heyman. Rollins addressed the crowd and said, 'It is very evident that none of you know what you want, so I don't really care anymore. All the things you think you want are because of me; Roman Reigns exists because of me. CM Punk didn't come back to the WWE because you chanted his name; he came back because this company wanted to cash in on how much I hate him.' ALSO READ | WWE RAW: Goldberg returns to challenge Gunther for the Heavyweight Championship, Cody Rhodes saves Jey Uso from Seth Rollins As he proceeded to list out all the events and superstars he was responsible for in the WWE, the fans that were singing along to his theme song started to jeer him. While this is the reaction that the WWE expects from the audience, because Seth Rollins is a 'heel', it soon became clear that they weren't booing him just because he was the bad guy. Many viewers commented that this is exactly like a promo Seth cut back in 2024 and made fun of the writers and the wrestler as well. A user commented, 'Can't believe this happened a year ago today,' while another wrote, 'Who writes his promos?' The guy literally says the same thing every time.' While the WWE universe has always been pretty unforgiving when superstars fail to deliver a moving segment, disappointment with this particular promo is more than justified. Over the last few weeks, the audience have been treated to several entertaining and engaging promos, especially at the hands of John Cena and CM Punk. Both men who are going to face off against each other at the Night of Champions went toe to toe during their buildup to the match, and Cena really raised the bar at last week's Smackdown with his 'pipe bomb' promo. John Cena not only put CM Punk through a table; he sat at the turnbuckleof the ring and recreated Punk's infamous promo from 2011, where he constantly broke the fourth wall and accused Cena and the people in charge of being greedy and manipulative. While CM Punk's mic was cut off back then, John Cena continued to pull back the layers of Punk's return to the WWE and what he did during the interim. He called out the names of several wrestlers who left the company and found success elsewhere and accused Punk of turning into the very thing he was against back in 2011. The Night Of Champions will take place at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Abu Dhabi, on June 28. John Cena will face CM Punk for the undisputed heavyweight championship, while the King and Queen of the Ring finals will also take place at the same event. Randy Orton will face Cody Rhodes, and Jade Cargill will face Asuka, and the winners of both the matches will have a chance to fight for a title at SummerSlam.
News18
31-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News18
WWE SmackDown Results: Cody Rhodes Steals John Cena's Belt, JC Mateo Debuts With Win
Last Updated: John Cena and Logan Paul took the spotlight on the latest edition of WWE Smackdown. But this time the duo were attacked by the former tag-team champions, Jey Uso and Cody Rhodes. The latest episode of WWE SmackDown, aired on May 30, opened with Bianca Blair making a return to the ring with a splint on her broken finger. She was confronted by her former best friend, Naomi. Jade Cargil showed up and attacked Naomi and threw her out of the ring. Jade Cargil came forward and challenged both Jax and Naomi in the first match of the night. Later on the show, 21-year-old JC Mateo, backed by Solo Sikoa's Bloodline, made his WWE debut against R-Truth. Jacob Fatu was also part of the episode, appearing in a Money in the Bank qualifier match against Andrade and Carmelo Hayes. A tag-team dispute unfolded backstage, with The Street Profits showing off their title. They were interrupted by Faxiom, who claimed that their title match was troubled by the Wyatt Sicks. Motor City Machine Gun and DIY also engaged in trash talk when Wyatt Sicks came out amid darkness. Uncle Howdy went hard on the other tag teams and took down all of them one by one. Los Garza clashed against the pair of Rey Fenix and Je'Von Evans, while Zelina Vega and Alba Fyre went head-to-head in a singles match. After the MIB Qualifier match, Cody Rhodes entered the ring, and the crowd started mocking John Cena. Rhodes vowed to reclaim the WWE title, beating Cena, before introducing his new tag-team partner, Jey Uso. Logan Paul joined Cena in the ring and accused Jey of cheating in their last Heavyweight Championship match. A sudden brawl broke out, as Rhodes and Jey attacked Paul and Cena, showcasing some big moves. At the end of the episode, Rhodes stole Cena's belt and flaunted it in front of fans, while Jey also lifted his title with pride. Los Garza vs Rey Fenix & Je'Von Evans: Los Garza made the most out of a distraction and shelled out their finisher to win the tag-team bout. Zelina Vega vs Alba Fyre: Vega comfortably sealed the deal, hitting Fyre with the Code Red. Money In The Bank Qualifier: Fatu was baffled by the intervention of Sikoa and Mateo, which helped Andrade knock down Carmelo Hayes with the message to earn the MIB spot. First Published:
The Independent
29-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Petition to strip UFC champion of title reaches 140k signatures
Jon Jones, the regular UFC heavyweight champion, is facing increasing pressure to fight interim titleholder Tom Aspinall. A petition calling for Jones to be stripped of his undisputed title has reached almost 140,000 signatures. Aspinall has expressed frustration over the delay and uncertainty surrounding a potential fight with Jones, saying it is impacting him mentally as he awaits a decision. UFC chief executive Dana White is under pressure to make a definitive decision regarding Jones's heavyweight title, but negotiations are dragging on. The UFC has announced main events through September without a Jones-Aspinall fight on the cards.
The Independent
19-05-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Jon Jones accuses UFC of withholding Tom Aspinall information from fans
Jon Jones has accused the UFC of failing to 'share' his plans with fans, as they continue to mock him over his apparent decision not to fight Tom Aspinall. In November 2023, Aspinall won the interim heavyweight title after Jones sustained an injury and could not defend the regular belt against Stipe Miocic. Twelve months later, Jones returned and retained his title against the heavyweight great, but only after Aspinall retained the interim version in July. Despite the champions naturally being lined up for a unification bout, 37-year-old Jones has said he is not keen on facing the Briton, 32. As a result, the fighters and belts have been left in limbo, although UFC president Dana White promised this month that he would announce the match-up soon. One X/Twitter user wrote to Jones on Sunday (18 May), 'enjoying your last days as champ before being stripped [of your title] i see eh jon?', to which the American replied: 'Stripped? Lol do I come across as the type of person who cares about things like that ?' Another user replied: 'Yes otherwise you'd have vacated the belt a long time ago because you don't plan to fight Tom.' Jones then hit back again, writing: 'Yall barkin up the wrong tree, I told the Ufc my plans a long time ago. I have no clue why they haven't shared them with you guys yet.' When one fan asked, 'What exactly are your plans?', Jones responded: 'To continue to monetize on this amazing brand that I've created.' Another pressed, 'So are you fighting again or not? You are the current champion of the division,' with Jones replying: 'Not a bad idea.' The former two-time light-heavyweight champion also fired back at a fan who urged Jones to 'shut the f*** up and fight', writing: 'This, this attitude, right here is making me a very wealthy man. This desperation is incredibly lucrative, so thank you. Keep it coming.' With the UFC having announced main events for its pay-per-views in June, July and August, as well as a Mexican-centric event in September, Jones vs Aspinall is unlikely to happen before October. While some fans view Jones as the greatest mixed martial artist of all time, his career has been marred by numerous failed drug tests and run-ins with the law. Still, the American is effectively unbeaten, with his sole loss having come via DQ in 2009. Meanwhile, Aspinall is 15-3 in MMA and 8-1 in the UFC. In the promotion, his only defeat occurred due to injury, while all of his career finishes have come via stoppage. In the UFC, Aspinall holds the record for the shortest fight time of an athlete with five or more bouts; all of his wins in the promotion have come in the first two rounds – seven in round one, two in the first minute. Aspinall's decision to defend the interim belt was a rarity in the UFC, as the Wigan heavyweight aimed to stay active during Jones's absence. In that fight, Aspinall stopped Curtis Blaydes in 60 seconds, avenging his injury-induced loss to the American in 2022.
