Dana White hopes winner of Jones vs. Miocic will unify with Aspinall

UFC CEO Dana White expects the heavyweight championship belts to be unified next year.

After Tom Aspinall's impressive 60-second interim title defense against Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 in Manchester, England on Saturday, the familiar question resurfaced as to whether the Brit will get a chance to unify the heavyweight belt with Jon Jones or Stipe Miocic, who are expected to clash for the belt at UFC 309 on November 9 in New York.

The bout between Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) and Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) was originally scheduled for last November but was cancelled when Jones needed surgery for a shoulder injury. Jones has not fought since then but is working towards a return. Despite Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) claiming and currently defending the interim title since Jones last stepped into the cage, White is sticking to his plans for the matchup, but what happens after the bout is finally made remains a mystery.

Jones, 37, and Miocic, 41, have both indicated they may retire from MMA regardless of the outcome of the bout, frustrating Aspinall and many in the MMA community, and White said he doesn't know what will happen but acknowledged he wouldn't be happy if the pair's retirements became a reality.

“What if they both retire? That would be the worst,” White told MMA Junkie and other reporters during the post-fight press conference at UFC 304. “That would be the worst. I don't know what I'd do if that happened.”

White said he's only going by gut feeling and speculation at this point, but he speculates that a win for Jones over Miocic would make it hard to ignore the growing clamor for a unification fight with Aspinall, who many, including longtime rival Daniel Cormier, see as the biggest threat to inflict “Bones” his first true defeat in MMA.

“Jon Jones is not an idiot,” White said. “Jon Jones has a very high fight IQ. He knows what Aspinall is capable of and what he's trying to do. I think we'll have to see what happens with Steep and what Jon's thinking is going to happen. Or, if Steep wins, we'll have to see what his thinking is going to be and what they want to do. Is this their last fight? Are they going to retire?

“If Stipe wins, he'll probably retire. But if Jon Jones wins, I think his competitive spirit and his desire to prove to the world that he's the best will drive him to fight, especially when people are saying (Aspinall) might be the greatest of all time. I think that's the kind of thing that motivates Jon Jones.”

“…There's no question that fight is going to be huge. Whether Jon Jones or Stipe wins, it's going to be a great fight for Aspinall.”

For more on the card, check out MMA Junkie's UFC 304 event hub.