11/14/24: Jon Jones Rejects Idea of Facing Tom Aspinall: 'He Does Nothing For Me'
Also: Conor McGregor speaks in civil sexual assault trial, UFC announces return to London, and more.
Welcome to a Thursday edition of the Knockdown Daily. Today’s issue is a weekday catchup of the latest MMA headlines, big and new. We have four main headlines for you today, plus tons of other smaller news pieces in the notes section. Let’s begin.
Jon Jones Rejects Idea of Fighting Tom Aspinall In Title Unification: ‘He Does Nothing For Me’
For nearly a year, UFC’s heavyweight division has been represented by two champions.
Jon Jones holds the 265-pound limit’s main title, which he gained back in early 2023 against Ciryl Gane. But late last year a new interim belt, currently held by England’s Tom Aspinall, was also brought into the mix.
The interim championship was used as a way to keep the division moving while Jones would recover from a torn pec and then return against Stipe Miocic. Like all interim belts, the assumption was that the title would eventually give Aspinall the chance to unify with the other champion.
Jones and Miocic are expected to finally collide this weekend, ending a more than year-long wait for the duo to face off. However, even with that fight soon out of the way, it remains unclear when Aspinall could get a title unification bout. What’s more, recent comments from current top champ Jones have made it seem like the odds of a fight between them are slim.
Jones, a long-time light heavyweight champion who moved up to the heavyweight division in 2023, saw a fight against Aspinall as high risk, low reward.
“He does nothing for me,” Jones said during the UFC 309 media day this week. “If you’re a person that wants to see me really challenged, then I get it. Seven years younger, 35 pounds bigger than me. I get it, it’s like ‘Jon’s so good, we finally found someone way younger and way bigger than him.’ I get that narrative.”
While Jones walked back prior comments about Aspinall not “deserving” a shot against him, he described an appetite for other matchups. When weighing the factors of age, size, and success, Jones thought a fight against current light heavyweight king Alex Pereira might be next for him, if successful on Saturday.
“If you were my manager, if you were on my team, why not fight against [Alex] Pereira, a guy the same age as you, and we walk around [at] the same exact size,” Jones questioned to the press.
Jones’ disinterest in an Aspinall fight calls into question how the heavyweight division’s title picture will look if he wins on Saturday. Aspinall has already become just one of three UFC interim champions to actually defend their title before receiving a unification fight. If he has to put his title on the line once more while waiting for a shot against the champ, he will become the first fighter in the promotion’s history to do so.
Jones pushed back against the idea that not wanting to fight Aspinall was his way of “ducking” a challenge. He described that the promotion has never confronted him about a unification fight thus far, meaning he has yet to side-step a fight in the weight class.
“I feel like narratives have been created that just truly aren’t there,” Jones claimed. “You can’t duck a man that you were never scheduled to fight. It’s like saying you got turned down by a girl you never hit on. Me and Dana [White] and Hunter [Campbell] have never sat down and talked about Tom Aspinall. He was never on my radar. Never.”
It does seem like the promotion hopes to eventually make a title unification fight, even if they haven’t approached Jones about the fight just yet. UFC CEO Dana White recently told TNT Sports that he expects the winner of Saturday’s main event to go on and face Aspinall before retiring: “They’re not going to just ride off into the sunset without settling the dispute with Tom Aspinall,” he said.
The issue of a champ-versus-champ clash at heavyweight might be an issue for Jones to solve in the future. However, his appearance at Madison Square Garden this weekend against former champ Miocic is front of mind for now. While Jones enters the fight as a massive favorite, with sportsbooks listing him as high as -600, it would be getting ahead of things to discuss what is next before he even steps into the cage on Saturday.
Conor McGregor Speaks At Civil Trial, Denies Sexual Assault Allegation
Content warning: This article includes graphic details of sexual assault.
UFC fighter Conor McGregor vehemently denied allegations of sexual assault on Wednesday, speaking for the first time since a civil trial against him started in Dublin, Ireland last week.
McGregor took the stand on the sixth day of his trial, fighting the accusation that he raped a woman while at a penthouse in 2018. His remarks, along with other recent news regarding the case, have been reported on the ground by The Irish Mirror since the trial started just over a week ago.
Comments made by McGregor on Wednesday only briefly aligned with claims from the plaintiff, who Knockdown News has decided not to mention by name. He acknowledged that they did meet in December 2018 and go to a penthouse along with a friend of the plaintiffs and co-defendant James Lawrence, although little about their stories matched after that point.
McGregor strongly disagreed with many of the allegations made by the plaintiff, claiming she stated “lies and more lies” with her story. The MMA fighter recalled the plaintiff being “enthusiastic” while they were together and said he had no responsibility for the significant bruising that medical professionals found on her the next day. At one point, he reportedly suggested that her bruising “possibly came from her diving into the bath.”
He also denied that the plaintiff was menstruating or wearing a tampon. This detail emerged due to the alleged victim claiming that she didn’t want to have sex while mensturating and that a tampon had to be removed from her body when visiting a hospital the next day. McGregor claimed he “would not have had sex” with the plaintiff if that was the case.
Earlier this week, the court heard medical experts weigh in on the physical damages the plaintiff was admitted into the hospital with the day after the alleged incident, and the long-term mental struggles she has dealt with.
Dublin Fire Brigade paramedics Neil Dempsey and Eithne Scully spoke about seeing “visible marks in and around” the throat of the plaintiff. Scully recalled never seeing anyone more bruised than the plaintiff that day.
Family doctor Dr. Frank Clarke and psychiatrist Dr. Ann Leader also spoke about their PTSD diagnosis of the alleged victim. They also said trauma has caused the plaintiff to go years without holding a job, making a doctor deem her “unfit to work” recently.
A majority of last week’s court proceedings saw the plaintiff on the stand. She was able to tell her story, alleging that while under the influence of cocaine and alcohol, she was forcibly choked and held down by McGregor while having sex. “I didn’t want to have sex and I wasn’t there for anything like that,” she said. “He just wasn’t taking no for an answer.”
On the flip side, she also spent significant time getting pressed by McGregor’s legal team, who attempted to illustrate a pattern of inconsistencies in her story. They questioned the texts she had with her boyfriend the evening of the alleged assault, which briefly obscured to her partner what she had been doing. The defence also focused on CCTV footage from that evening, pairing it up against many comments made by the plaintiff.
The case is expected to continue until the end of the week.
UFC Announces London ‘Fight Night’ Card For March 22nd
For the first time in over a year, the U.K. will get a prime-time UFC event.
The O2 Arena in London, England will host a “Fight Night” card on March 22nd next year, per an announcement made this week. The event will be UFC’s 30th U.K. trip, a press release noted.
UFC hasn’t visited the city of London since July 2023, when a “Fight Night” card headlined by Tom Aspinall and Marcin Tybura drew a crowd of over 15,000.
The promotion didn’t appear in London this year but instead hosted a pay-per-view card over 200 miles away in Manchester, which they hadn’t visited since 2016. The show saw England’s Leon Edwards drop his title to Belal Muhammad in the main event slot of the night.
UFC’s trip to Manchester wasn’t the best atmosphere for local fans, as the card aired during the usual PPV times for U.S. viewers. This meant that the earliest fight of the evening kicked off around late-night hours, and the show finished by Sunday morning.
A post on official UFC social media noted that the card this time will be “back in PRIME TIME,” meaning the upcoming card will air at hours that will accommodate those in the arena that evening.
Cage Warriors 180 Loses Bantamweight Main Event Due To Injury
This weekend’s Cage Warriors presentation in London, England will no longer be a double main event.
A clash between Cage Warriors Bantamweight Champion Liam Gittins and 2024 Bantamweight PrizeFighter Winner Shirzad Qadrian has been removed from Friday’s lineup, per a recent announcement from the promotion.
The fight was pulled due to Gittins suffering an undisclosed injury during his training camp. Cage Warriors has stated their intentions to re-book the fight for an event in the future.
23-year-old Qadrian was looking to cap off what has already been a banner year for him. He won the first-ever Cage Warriors PrizeFighter tournament in July, avenging his sole pro loss to Weslley Maia and defeating Alexander Loof on the same night to win a $50,000 grand prize. He had previously also scored a first-round finish over Emanuele Zaccaria in March.
Long-time Cage Warriors talent Gittins was searching for his second consecutive title victory in 2024. He defended his belt for the first time in March, concluding a dominant five-round performance against U.S. prospect Roberto Hernandez with a rear naked choke submission.
Cage Warriors 180 will now be headlined by a fight between light heavyweight champ Andy Clamp and James Webb, which was initially expected for the co-main event spot of the night.
Notes On: UFC, RIZIN & KSW
UFC
This weekend’s UFC card will see the promotion revert back to their old style of MMA gloves, per Ariel Helwani. Since UFC 302, the promotion has used a new glove that is designed to protect the hands of fighters and prevent eye pokes. In a press scrum Saturday, headliner Jon Jones said he was told UFC made the change this weekend due to “so many veterans [being] on the card.”
One small change has been made to Saturday’s lineup at Madison Square Garden: David Onama (12-2) has a new opponent. While he was without a fight following Lucas Almeida’s withdrawal from the lineup last week, Onama is now expected to face Roberto Romero (8-3-1). Romero is joining the UFC roster after an eight-fight run in Combate Global, including a first-round submission over veteran Takahiro Ashida in July. Onama will be seeking his third victory of the year after beating Gabriel Santos and Jonathan Pearce.
Two more fights have joined UFC’s final card of 2024, a December 14th lineup from the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida, USA.
After her fight against Tracy Cortez fell through, Miranda Maverick (14-5) has found a new opponent in Jamey-Lyn Horth (7-1). The fight is a quick turnaround for Horth, who won just earlier this month in a split decision over Ivana Petrovic. Maverick will be hunting for her fourth consecutive win.
Rising featherweight Sean Woodson (12-1-1) will take on Fernando Padilla (16-5). Woodson will try to keep his streak alive, fighting for a sixth win since 2021. Most recently, he got past veteran Alex Caceres on scorecards. Padilla bounced back from his first UFC loss in March, submitting Luis Pajuelo in the first round with a D’Arce Choke.
And here are three fights for UFC’s January 11th card, which hasn’t been officially announced yet:
Highly experienced Santiago Ponzinibbio (29-8) will go up against Carlston Harris (19-6) at welterweight, per Alex Behunin. Ponzinibbio has struggled greatly as of late, having won just two of his past seven fights. His most recent appearance was a split decision loss to Muslim Salikhov. Guyana’s Harris is coming back after losing in 90 seconds to Khaos Williams earlier this year.
23-year-old Austin Bashi (13-0) will make his UFC debut against Christian Rodriguez (11-2), as announced by both fighters on social media. After attaining a dozen wins since his 2020 pro debut, Bashi scored a UFC contract in September with a submission win over Dorian Ramos on “Dana White’s Contender Series.” Rodriguez had an impressive four-fight winning streak stopped in July with a submission loss to Julian Erosa.
Undefeated lightweight Nurullo Aliev (9-0) will go up against Yanal Ashmouz (8-1) at lightweight. Aliev won his UFC debut in early 2023, beating Rafael Alves via majority decision. The upcoming bout ends a lengthy absence from the cage for him. Ashmouz earned his second UFC win in September, beating Trevor Peek on scorecards.
Finally returning after back-to-back suspensions, Hamdy Abdelwahab (3-0) will meet Jamal Pogues (11-4) at UFC’s February 1st card, as first reported by Nolan King of MMA Junkie. Abdelwahab won his UFC debut back in July 2022 against Don’Tale Mayes. However, after getting suspended for two years by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency due to violation of the policy, Abdelwahab had the victory overturned to a no-contest. Earlier this year, he was given another violation worth six months due to a failed test under the new Combat Sports Anti-Doping policy. After a year-and-a-half out of the cage he will face Pogues, who has earned two wins and one loss since debuting for the promotion in early 2023.
The first wave of matchups for UFC 312 in Sydney, Australia have been announced:
Undefeated Japanese talent Rei Tsuruya (10-0) has been paired up against Stewart Nicoll (8-1) at flyweight. After winning the 2023-24 “Road To UFC” season, Tsuruya beat Carlos Hernandez to score his first UFC victory. Nicoll had an unsuccessful UFC debut in August, suffering a submission loss to Jesus Aguilar.
Jimmy Crute (12-4-1) will return against Marcin Prachnio (17-8). Crute has gone winless since late 2020, with his past four appearances resulting in three losses and one draw. Prachnio has flipped between winning and losing in his past six appearances.
After a decision win on the latest season of “Dana White’s Contender Series,” former Eternal MMA Champion Quillan Salkilld (7-1) will debut against Anshul Julbi (7-1). The fight gives Jubli a chance to bounce back after having his undefeated pro record snapped by Mike Breeden at UFC 294 last year.
RIZIN
Marcos Yoshio Souza (9-3) has been withdrawn from his appearance this Sunday against Igor Tanabe (5-0) at RIZIN LANDMARK 10 due to a broken rib, the promotion announced earlier this week. Sunday’s show is down to 15 fights.
KSW
A quick rundown of the new matchups added to KSW 101, which will go down on December 20th from Paris, France.
Former Bellator talent Davy Gallon (21-9-2) will make his KSW debut against Marcin Held (29-10). France’s Gallon is looking for his first win in over two years, as his past two appearances have resulted in a loss. The highly experienced Held is coming off his first KSW win, beating Roman Szymanski in June.
In an all-French matchup, Ramzan Jembiev (5-2) will take on El Hadji Ndiaye (6-2). Jembiev had a five-fight winning streak brought to an end in January with a 47-second submission loss to Isai Ramos. Ndiaye won his promotional debut in April with a split decision over Nicolae Bivol.
Former UFC fighter Mickael Lebout (23-12-3) will move over to KSW for a fight against Romain Debienne (10-5). Lebout had a three-fight winning streak broken in his last fight, losing an Ares FC bout against fellow UFC alum Laureano Staropoli. Debienne is coming off a three-fight run with Bellator/PFL, which came to an end after a first-round finish loss against undefeated prospect Thad Jean in April.
Undefeated Belgian Alain Van De Merckt (8-0) will step into the KSW cage for the first time when he faces Laid Zerhouni (13-9). Van De Merckt is joining KSW after capturing the Levels Fight League Middleweight Championship in April, stopping Marcos Silva with strikes. Ex-Hexagone MMA champ Zerhouni is returning after suffering a 61-second loss to Radoslaw Paczuski in September.
Local talents Fabien Xabidi (2-1) and Nacim Belhouachi (3-3) have been paired up. Xabidi has earned two wins since dropping his 2021 pro debut, and Belhouachi is coming off a regional submission loss from January.
KSW 103 will take place from the Home Credit Arena in Liberec, Czech Republic on February 21st. The event will be their fourth trip to the Czech Republic since debuting in the country just under two years ago.