White has long maintained the claim that the fight will happen, something he reiterated again and again Saturday. He also put forth a claim that many following the social media saga might be surprised by. According to White, Jones agreed to fight Aspinall, but has not yet signed paperwork.

UFC president Dana White says he cannot stop Jon Jones from retiring, despite the American having "agreed" to fight Tom Aspinall. White was responding to the social media activity of the UFC heavyweight champion, who suggested he was retired before calling out ex-UFC fighter Francis Ngannou.

Eric Nicksick, Ngannou's coach, previously revealed that a return to UFC was a possibility. The 38-year-old left the promotion in January 2023 and signed with the Professional Fighters League four months later. Ngannou currently holds the PFL Super Fights heavyweight title.