Tom Aspinall secured the Interim Heavyweight Champion title after his knockout victory against Sergei Pavlovich during UFC 295 on November 11. Nevertheless, Dana White’s confirmation of the promotion’s intent to arrange Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic suggests that Aspinall might have to remain inactive for more than a year.
Alternatively, Tom Aspinall could consider defending his Interim title, a scenario rarely encountered in the realm of MMA. UFC legend Chael Sonnen is of the opinion that the whole Interim Championship situation has created a potentially awkward situation for the UFC. Although the UFC plans to reschedule the Jones vs. Miocic bout once Bones is back to full health, Aspinall can claim to be the most deserving candidate as he is the Interim UFC Champion.
However, Sonnen raised the point that if Jones fights Miocic next, there will be no Interim title in existence as the undisputed champion has shown up. This is because there isn’t a need for one.
Sonnen said that the moment Jon Jones fights- “There is no longer an Interim; there is no longer an in-between; there is no longer a for now. Our champion is back. Which means your interim is no longer a champion. So, if Jon and Aspinall do not fight next, it is not champion vs. champion, nor can it be”.
The UFC scheduled Aspinall to confront Pavlovich on short notice for the November 11 fight card at Madison Square Garden in New York City when it was revealed that the current UFC Heavyweight Champion, Jon Jones, was injured and unable to compete against former two-time UFC Heavyweight Champion Stipe Miocic on that particular card. Aspinall secured the Interim title by knocking out Pavlovich just 69 seconds into the fight.
Tom Aspinall says he deserves the Jon Jones fight more than Stipe Miocic.
On multiple occasions, Tom Aspinall has expressed that his ultimate dream fight involves a title bout against Jon Jones. So, after securing the Interim UFC Heavyweight title against Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295, Aspinall was clear about his next desired move. In a conversation with TMZ Sports, Aspinall expressed his belief that he should be the next contender to face Heavyweight Champion Jones, rather than Stipe Miocic.
UFC Champ Tom Aspinall Says He Wants Jon Jones Fight Next, Shouldn’t Be Stipe | Click to read more 👇 https://t.co/flRGABYpzS
— TMZ (@TMZ) November 15, 2023
“I want to fight Jon Jones, man. And this is no disrespect to Stipe at all. After a performance like Saturday night, who really cares about 42-year-old Stipe who has not fought for 3 or 4 years coming back and fighting Jon Jones,” said Tom Aspinall to TMZ Sports.
Tom Aspinall’s journey in the UFC has seen its share of highs and lows, particularly in the last eighteen months. Fortunately, he bounced back from the knee injury suffered against Curtis Blaydes, achieving consecutive first-round knockouts and earning his inaugural taste of UFC gold.