But rather than schedule a unification title bout, Jones was rebooked against 42-year-old Miocic.

Jones said he will not fight Aspinall because “it does nothing for my legacy”, before using an expletive to describe him.

Aspinall, the back-up fighter to the main event, has poked fun at Jones in an attempt to lure him into an undisputed fight, buying his dog a toy rubber duck after fans claimed Jones was “ducking” him.

Aspinall then shared a post on social media of him wearing a T-shirt which says “Hello Jon”, and “I have nothing against you personally, I just think I’m better than ya”.

While Jones smiled on stage and joked with a vocal crowd, the endless talk of Aspinall has irked the two-weight UFC champion.

He walked out of an interview with TNT Sports before it began, concerned he would have to field more questions about Aspinall with the British broadcaster.

Jones, the youngest UFC champion in the company’s history, was hailed on stage as the greatest ever by White.

He has just one loss on his record, a 2009 disqualification defeat by Matt Hamill.

“As long as this guy is active he’s the best,” White said.

Miocic, meanwhile, mostly kept his answers short.

The Ohio fighter is a two-time heavyweight champion, widely regarded as the greatest heavyweight in UFC history, but is a big underdog in his contest with Jones.

He has not fought since defeat by Francis Ngannou in 2021, but victory over Jones would mean he becomes the promotion’s first three-time heavyweight champion.

After Jones took issue with language he used in an interview, saying “respect was out of the window”, Miocic dismissed his opponent’s complaints.

“[Jones] was calling me out saying he was going to beat my ass in front of a whole arena. Sorry for defending myself,” Miocic said.

The face-off passed without major incident, although Jones refused the offer of a handshake from Miocic.