As the second half of 2025 draws near, Tom Aspinall is solely focused on moving forward and upward in his career.
The top-ranked heavyweight in MMA has yet to book his initial fight of the year, but it appears efforts are underway to schedule his next opponent soon. Whether he faces UFC champion Jon Jones or another contender, Aspinall is eager to compete again, particularly with the public backing he`s received from UFC CEO Dana White.
Following UFC 316, which took place this past Saturday, White was questioned about the ongoing situation involving Jones and Aspinall. While admitting he hasn`t followed every detail, White unequivocally stated that Aspinall is “the guy” and confirmed his continued interest in setting up a heavyweight championship unification bout.
Aspinall expressed satisfaction upon hearing that the head of the promotion is supporting him.
“I think a lot of people come out and they see what I’ve said and they think it’s some kind of media stuff,” Aspinall commented on his YouTube channel. “Listen, I don’t do that kind of stuff. If I’m going to come out and say something, it’s going to be informed information.
“As I’ve said a couple of times, not for me to say. That’s beyond my pay grade, I don’t announce no fights, I don’t announce no UFC news or nothing like that. But there is some coming, there’s definitely some coming. Dana White says I’m his man, we love that. And I’m going to go and prove that pretty soon, so it’s coming.”
Meanwhile, Jon Jones recently engaged in an extensive series of posts on social media where he continued to dismiss Aspinall, the UFC`s interim heavyweight champion, as a legitimate challenger. He also addressed speculation that former UFC champion Francis Ngannou might consider returning to the promotion under the right conditions. Jones described a potential fight with Ngannou as “a real superfight” and “a clash of champions, not just hype.”
Regarding potential opponents, Aspinall firmly stated his position: “I’ve said plenty times the day that I start ducking out of fights and turning opponents down and start turning opponents down and stuff like that is the day that I’m going to retire… As I’ve always said… I’ll fight anyone, I’ll fight anytime, and I’ll fight anywhere. Never turned down a fight in my life. Never will.
“The day that I start thinking about turning down fights is the day that I’ll retire, so to answer the question, whoever they want me to fight is who I’m going to fight.”
