Tom Aspinall finds himself in a rather precarious situation at the top of the heavyweight division. Having run the hard yards and found his way back to where he initially left off, Aspinall is now the interim heavyweight champion. With that said, the Englishman is now considering what comes next for him.
For those unaware, Aspinall has been waiting on the sidelines since November last year when he triumphed over Sergei Pavlovich. Laying his claim to the interim title, the young prince of Britain has been waiting for his opportunity to unify the title. However, with Jon Jones very elusive in his return to the Octagon, it has been a difficult wait for Tom.
LET HIM COOK pic.twitter.com/6hyOp6jt87
— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) January 9, 2024
At the same time, Jones’s wish to fight Stipe Miocic and then seemingly retire, further makes it difficult for Aspinall to build the legacy the fans have mocked him for not having. With Jon unwilling to fight and no other fight emerging in the meantime, things have been understandably a little down for the interim champ.
Tom Aspinall does not want to become another Michael Chandler
With that said, it appears as though Tom Aspinall has realized that he may be losing his prime by sitting out of action. As such, he is now preparing to hold his position and make an even stronger case for himself to be the undisputed champion. Although many have wasted good time waiting on a title shot, it appears that Aspinall will not be one of them.
In a recent interview with Michael Bisping, Aspinall revealed where he was at and what he is planning:
“I’m not gonna wait for like something that’s not happening forever. Like look just as an example look what’s going on with Michael Chandler at the moment.”
Tom Aspinall doesn’t want to wait for Jon Jones forever
Credit: 🎥 @bisping #TomAspinall #UFC #MichaelChandler pic.twitter.com/UtkOXTtBTN
— Sportsmanor UFC (@sportsmanor_UFC) March 16, 2024
“I’m not gonna wait for like something that’s not happening forever. Like look just as an example look what’s going on with Michael Chandler at the moment.” Further, he added, “I don’t want to be like Michael Chandler just sat on the fence, forever waiting for a train that’s never going to come. I want to make my own legacy and be great on my own, without having to wait for anybody or anything like that”.
Thus, the 30-year-old will likely be putting his interim title on the line very soon, hoping to stay active. With the division progressing since his last win, a contender could well emerge to challenge for the interim status. Ideally, Aspinall would like the UFC to strip Jon Jones of the title and put it on the line for him and somebody else.
Tom Aspinall comes face to face with Jon Jones for the first time
For the most part, fans have been very clued up on Jon Jones and his interactions with Tom Aspinall on social media. Despite his defiant claims, Jon has not yet accepted that he will fight Aspinall when the opportunity arises. Instead, he has taken to mocking the Englishman’s resume and brandishing his own as one of the best of all time.
Similarly, Aspinall has also received a lot of hate and vile messages from Jones’ fans in the meantime. All things considered, it is clear why he is ready to move on from Jones already. However, Tom’s stars seemingly aligned as he recently had his first face-to-face with Jon Jones at an event. After exchanging pleasantries, it was interesting to see how Jon firmly removed Tom’s hand from his shoulder.
Maybe one day? 👀 Full video tonight on my YouTube channel 🤛 https://t.co/YolhO6m9M1 pic.twitter.com/H6mQ0FxAOR
— Tom Aspinall (@AspinallMMA) March 16, 2024
Following the interaction, Aspinall cut an even more confident figure having seen Jones up close and personal. On his way back from the event they met, Tom remarked, “He’s nowhere near as big as I thought”, and “I’ll take him. I think I’d beat him”. Although he already had no shortage of confidence, the interaction will have further motivated Tom to face Jones one day. And if they do, Tom for sure likes his chances to win.