Interim UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall doesn’t envision a showdown with Jon Jones in the near future.
Aspinall secured the interim title with a victory over Sergey Pavlovich in New York last November, a result of Jones pulling out of a scheduled title defense against Stipe Miocic due to a pectoral injury sustained during training. Since then, Aspinall has actively campaigned for a match against Jones to determine the undisputed champion, asserting that he, not Miocic, should be next in line to face Jones.
However, despite a recent encounter with Jones at an event in Birmingham, UK, Aspinall doubts that the UFC heavyweight champion would agree to face him in the octagon, even with his interim championship suggesting that a title bout should be imminent.
Reflecting on their meeting, Aspinall shared his perspective with JN Media, as reported by MMA Fighting. “We were at the same event, so obviously it makes sense for me, we’ve got the interim champion and the undisputed champion at the same event,” Aspinall said.
“But it’s a bit weird that there’s an undisputed champion and an interim champion, because undisputed means no one can dispute it, but if there’s another champion, I don’t know, it’s a little bit weird the way it works. It was good, we had a little chat, it was all good.”
He clarified his intentions during the encounter, emphasizing that he wasn’t being disrespectful towards Jones. “I think he thought I was putting a hand on his shoulder being disrespectful, but I wasn’t,” Aspinall added.
“I wasn’t there to be disrespectful. I was doing it in a friendly way. I’m not going to cause more beef. I’m trying to fight the guy and take his belt, that’s what I want. I have no beef against the guy. To me it’s just friendly, nothing crazy.”
Despite his desire for the match-up, Aspinall indicated that he doesn’t anticipate Jones agreeing to a bout with him. “No, because I don’t think he’s going to fight me anyway,” Aspinall said. “I’d be very, very surprised if me and Jon Jones ever stepped in the octagon together. I’m trying to get the fight, but I’m not trying to get it realistically. I’m trying to have a bit of fun and see what he’s all about.”
Acknowledging the unlikely prospect of facing Jones, Aspinall expressed his readiness to compete against whoever the UFC selects. “Like, today, I don’t expect the fight to be off the back of this, because in all honesty I don’t think the UFC is going to go for it and I don’t think Jon Jones is going to go for it either, so I’m not deflated at all because I wasn’t expecting the fight anyway,” he remarked.
In the absence of a bout with Jones, Aspinall remains open to other challengers. “Curtis Blaydes it is then,” he stated. “I’m easy, I’m the easiest person ever to entice into a fight. I’ve never turned one down yet. So anything that’s stopping me from fighting right now is not down to me, it’s down to the UFC. So I’m just waiting for the UFC to let me know who and when and I’ll be ready.”
