The interim UFC Heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall has been in a tough spot since he won the title at UFC 295. He had to defend the interim title against Curtis Blaydes at UFC 305 because the promotion wanted to make the fight between Heavyweight champion Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic.
Jon Jones Reacts to Fan’s Claim About Tom Aspinall
Jones defeated Miocic at UFC 309, but didn’t seem interested in fighting Aspinall next. Still, UFC CEO Dana White has always been confident he could make the fight happen.
Amid the confusion, Aspinall posted a video on his Instagram, hinting at his next fight with unclear messages. “Heavyweight news. Coming soon,” he wrote in the caption.
He followed it up with a funny message in the comments section, writing, “Sorry guys I’m fighting for a new belt. Interim of the interim BMF UFC heavyweight title. Living my best life.”
In the next comment, Aspinall shared that he won’t be announcing, but the UFC will. Another funny comment followed, asking a well-known MMA personality, MMA Guru, to be in his corner.
ESPN MMA re-shared the news on its Instagram, where a fan commented, “Tom’s whole personality is Jon Jones,” which got a response from “Bones” himself.
In a recent exclusive interview with Demetrious Johnson on “MIGHTYcast,” Aspinall was asked whether Jones’ reluctance to fight him was financially motivated.
“I can tell you some stuff about the money situation, but I’m not sure I can say it on camera, so I will tell you that after. I think I’m a bad matchup for him, to be honest, and I think he knows it, my opinion,” Aspinall replied.
Johnson agreed that Aspinall is a big risk for Jones because the Brit is younger, athletic, and fast. Also, less is known about him because he hasn’t been in the Octagon for very long.
Daniel Cormier, the retired two-division UFC champion, had also said something similar. He had pointed out that Jones’ best years in the UFC were at Light Heavyweight, where “Bones” was younger than his opponents. Now, things have changed, and Jones is at a disadvantage.
Jones started in the UFC as a 21-year-old Light Heavyweight. He was almost 33 years old when he last fought in that division. Cormier was nearly 36 when he first fought Jones and 38 during the rematch.
Jones is now almost 38, while Aspinall is just 32. However, Heavyweight fighters often fight longer, even after they are 40. Still, it remains to be seen whether the UFC can make the fight happen.