Tom Aspinall of England reacts after his knockout victory against Curtis Blaydes at Co-op Live on July 28, 2024 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Ben Roberts Photo/Getty Images)
The UFC’s interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall made quick work of perennial top-ranked competitor Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 to retain his interim heavyweight championship. While Aspinall defended his interim heavyweight title there has been little to no talk at all about a potential title unification bout between Tom Aspinall and Jon Jones and there’s doubt that the heavyweight belts may never get unified, RG tells the story.
Jon Jones came off a three-year layoff to capture the undisputed heavyweight championship that was vacated by Francis Ngannou back in March 2023 and has been sidelined since due to an injury that he sustained getting ready for his fight against Stipe Miocic.
Now, during Jones’ ongoing title reign which has been ongoing for the last 17 months, Aspinall has captured the interim heavyweight title and defended it before Jones is definitively booked for his first title defense.
It’s been long rumored that Jones will finally make the walk to the Octagon to defend his title against Stipe Miocic in November at Madison Square Garden but it has yet to be made official. Regardless if Jones fights or not, the UFC’s interim heavyweight champ Tom Aspinall doesn’t believe he will ever fight Jon Jones.
In an interview on the Believe You Me Podcast with Michael Bisping and Anthony Smith, Aspinall talks about a potential clash with Jones,
“Jon Jones, he was praying that I would lose that fight against Curtis Blaydes, praying that I would. Because there is nowhere you can find publicly, nowhere that he will fight me. It doesn’t exist, I challenge anybody watching this interview to go find the statement, a quote, a video where Jon Jones is saying that he will fight me after he’s fought Stipe, it doesn’t exist.
The guy’s smart and we know he’s a bit overweight these days. The guy will sit there with his Cheeto fingers, or whatever, the Doritos on his fingers waiting for me to get knocked out so he can start tweeting about it, let’s be honest.
Since I won that fight he’s gone completely quiet and he’s going to continue to be completely quiet about me until he retires. Because there’s no way on earth that he’s going to fight me, not a chance, I will retire Jon Jones without even fighting him.”
While it remains to be seen what Jones’ intentions are if he defeats Stipe Miocic and retains his UFC heavyweight championship. Many speculate that he will retire and not unify the belts but others, including Dana White, believe that the competitor inside him will not let him leave the sport without challenging himself against Tom Aspinall.
With Jones now 37 years old and very much past his prime his best days are all but past him but there is one thing that is for certain, Jones is one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time whether or not he ends up fighting Aspinall.
As of right now, we sit and wait for the outcome between Jones and Miocic and see what Jones chooses to do next but as for Tom Aspinall, he’s not holding his breath and assumes that he will never fight Jones in this lifetime.
Garrett Kerman is an American sports writer specializing in MMA, boxing, and betting news. He has established himself as a prominent voice in combat sports journalism, providing expert analysis and breaking news. Kerman has covered major events and conducted interviews with notable figures in the industry, showcasing his extensive knowledge and passion for the sport. His insights are widely sought after by fans and bettors alike.
