Tom Aspinall has just secured a championship title in the UFC. Achieving a record of 14 wins and 3 losses, Aspinall clinched the UFC interim heavyweight title in a remarkable performance on November 11. He secured a knockout victory over the scariest opponent in the division right now, Sergei Pavlovich, within the first round, landing a pair of decisive right hands at the 1:09 mark.
Notably, Aspinall stepped into the fight on short notice, filling in for heavyweight champion Jon Jones, who had to withdraw from his planned bout against Stipe Miocic after an injury. Hailing from the UK, Aspinall has long been considered a contender for the heavyweight championship. However, stepping in on short notice on November 11 seemed like a daunting challenge.
The Russian heavyweight Pavlovich, with a record of 18 wins and 2 losses, had impressively finished his last six opponents in the first round. Although not originally slated to compete at UFC 295, Pavlovich had been diligently training as the official backup for the heavyweight title bout.
Dana White says the plan is still Jones/Miocic.#UFC pic.twitter.com/eAVsMAv6Yz
— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) November 12, 2023
The UFC’s intention to reschedule the title fight between Jones and Miocic in 2024 prompted the organization to enlist Aspinall as a last-minute replacement for Pavlovich. However, now that Tom has pulled off a TKO victory against one of the top contenders, he will be looking to get a shot at the undisputed title.
Nevertheless, UFC boss Dana White is planning to make Jones vs. Miocic first. “Let’s see how Jones heals. Let’s see how he looks when he comes back from that injury. Obviously, he is going to fight Stipe; let’s see how that goes,” said the UFC CEO.
So, it looks like Aspinall might have to wait for some time as Jones is currently recovering and will be back in 2024 to fight Miocic first.
Tom Aspinall has a location in mind for fighting Jon Jones
The new UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion, Tom Aspinall, wants to fight the undisputed champion of the division, and he also has a location in mind. In the post-fight conference, the British fighter expressed that, according to him, Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall should happen in Manchester, UK.
Tom was also sure that the UFC would also be on board with his idea of hosting the fight in that part of the world. The Aspinall vs. Pavlovich fight was the co-main event at UFC 295. Meanwhile, the initially planned co-main event was made the headliner, resulting in Alex Pereira triumphing over Jiri Prochazka to claim the vacant Light-Heavyweight title.
Pereira, a former middleweight champion, made history as the ninth two-weight champion in the UFC, securing a Round 2 TKO against a former light heavyweight champion. The Brazilian expertly dropped the Czech Samurai with a left hook and followed up with a barrage of elbows, prompting referee Marc Goddard to intervene. However, it is still to be seen when Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall gets confirmed. Do let us know in the comments.