Remember Dana White’s fierce debate with the reporters in the press conference after Dana White Contender Series 69?

White was about to wrap up the session when someone dug up a topic that Dana had been overtly passionate about: whether Jon Jones is the GOAT and the No.1 P4P fighter.

So he sat back for the discussion that would eventually lead to 12-plus minutes of passionate debate with the reporters. It’s no secret that Dana is a vocal supporter of Jon being the GOAT and he made it clear in that press conference as well.

Reporters disputed. Among them was a veteran combat sports journalist who is known to forge a long relationship with Dana.

Being as aggressive as he is in his arguments, Dana was single-handedly quashing the logic of the reporters in the press conference. This veteran journalist, without hesitating, fired back, “That’s what you do you talk over us so we can’t answer.”

Dana instantly stepped back, “I apologize you go ahead.” Fighting community doubts how many of the journalists would dare to say that to Dana. But this reporter does. Why?

Probably because he has known Dana since the latter was in his 20s. “I met him in the 90s. He lived in Vegas, went away for a while and then when he came back.

So I don’t remember how old he was but he was maybe 21,” the reporter had revealed in a conversation with MMA JOEY last year. The two got in touch with each other at a gym named Golden Glove.

The gym has ceased to exist, but the connection remains. And guess what, it was not the MMA that developed the relationship, but boxing! The two used to go there to watch Mike Tyson practice. So this journo can confidently declare, “Dana freaking loves boxing!” As he puts it, their connection has gone beyond just professional realm.

“I didn’t know Dana as like a businessperson that way right, I knew him as just a guy who loved boxing,” he had said. When someone this close to Dana comments on one of the most talked-about and desired fights of recent times, it has to be a thing.

So the 2007 winner of the Nat Fleischer Award for career excellence in boxing journalism, Kevin Iole, created quite an uproar when he revealed his take on the timeline of Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall fight on his latest YouTube video.

He opened his video with a striking statement: “In all the time I have covered Dana White in the UFC, I don’t ever remember a night like what we just experienced a few minutes ago.” 

Iole was referring to Dana White’s Instagram Live, where he made a barrage of major announcements. However, one moment in particular grabbed the attention of fight fans worldwide. When a fan commented, “Jon Jones vs. Aspinall is never going to happen,” White quickly shut down the claim, responding directly: “Absolutely it will happen.”

Iole echoed this sentiment, saying, “He announced this on Instagram Live and so people were commenting, somebody said ‘Jones vs. Aspinall is never going to happen.’

And Dana said ‘Absolutely it will happen.’ That was kind of repeating the stance that he had and he has repeated it a number of times. But he said it again tonight. He expects Jones vs. Aspinall to happen sometime later this year”

Now with excitement in his eyes like a six-year-old, the veteran journalist picked up the prediction hat and said, “Now depending on when that fight happens, we don’t know yet! My guess and this is just a guess.

I think that’s gonna headline International Fight Week. So I think we will see that in Las Vegas in June, whatever the date you know. Last week of June. I think we will see Aspinall vs. Jones. That is my suspicion, my belief right now kinda how things are working.”

International Fight Week, of course, is a prime spot for one of the biggest heavyweight clashes in company history. UFC 317 is slated to go down on June 28 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas later this year.

But will this generational clash finally go down, we will have to see! White, who has repeatedly assured fans that Jones must face Aspinall at some point, reinforced this stance again.

Speaking to The MacLife on YouTube, he stated: “100%. Listen, if we don’t get the fight done, we move on and we make another fight. But, the night before, I was up in my room with my people till like, six in the morning.

We’re working on lots of stuff right now. There’s lots of really good sh-t going on right now.” He further emphasized, “There’s no situation. It’s the biggest fight we can make.”

Despite White’s confidence, Jones himself has been hesitant to commit to fighting Aspinall. Instead of addressing the matchup directly, he has repeatedly expressed interest in a potential showdown with Alex Pereira.

But can you imagine how wild fans are about the Joen-Aspinall matchup? Ahead of Jones’ fight against Stipe Miocic, the Madison Square Garden crowd gave an idea about that.

“Personally, do you still want to see the winner of this fight fight Tom Aspinall to unify the heavyweight title?,” asked Oscar Willis, an esteemed journalist in the MMA community.

Even before he completed the question, the crowd roared, and then suddenly there was pin-drop-silence for Dana’s reply.

“The winner should absolutely fight Tom,” Dana passionately said, as the New York crowd, who had probably been eagerly waiting to hear just that, absolutely erupted.

Even Jon, sitting on Dana’s right side, could not hide his surprise as it brought a wide smile on his face. Even Stipe was shaking his head with a smirk.

Adding to the discussion, former UFC lightweight and commentator Paul Felder and Joe Rogan recently weighed in, offering his perspective on the chaotic situation.

Paul Felder and Joe Rogan weigh in on the debate of Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall

On the Believe You Me podcast with Michael Bisping, former UFC lightweight Paul Felder shared his evolving perspective on the Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall situation.

Initially, he believed Jones was simply downplaying Aspinall to build hype for the fight. However, his opinion has since shifted.

“Even as of just recently, I thought, ‘Oh man, Jon’s playing this so well. He’s downplaying Tom so much that it’s just gonna create more buzz.’ Now I’m starting to think that—I don’t think he wants that. I do think there’s a part of him that is worried about the chance that he could be—I’m not saying it’s gonna happen—but people are gonna come at me for this.”

Felder strongly backed the British interim heavyweight champ, pointing out that Aspinall’s age, speed, and agility could pose serious problems for Jones.

He even went as far as to say that Aspinall was a bigger knockout threat to Jones than Alex Pereira—a bold claim given Pereira’s devastating striking ability.

On the other hand, Joe Rogan remains firmly in Jones’ corner. When Brendan Schaub declared Aspinall the best heavyweight in the world, Rogan pushed back.

“Who knows? [Maybe] Jon beats him. Jon might beat him up,” he countered. Rogan doubled down on his stance, emphasizing Jones’ elite wrestling. “He could take him down and f–king ragdoll him on the ground.”

Aspinall’s UFC fights have been incredibly short, averaging just 2 minutes and 2 seconds of Octagon time per bout. If the fight extends beyond the second round, Jones’ endurance and championship experience could become major factors.

Ultimately, though, all the speculation in the world won’t settle this debate—the only way to find out is for Jones and Aspinall to step into the Octagon.

With Dana White’s confirmation that the fight will happen in 2025, the stage is set. What do you think? Will the UFC finally make this fight a reality?