Tom Aspinall is not concerned about Jon Jones`s potential return to fighting.
Now the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion, a status he was promoted to following Jones`s retirement, Tom Aspinall is looking ahead to his next title defense without Jones being an active competitor. Aspinall previously held the interim title and successfully defended it once, with the hope that a unification bout against Jones would eventually happen. However, “Bones” never agreed to face Aspinall in such a fight.
This situation is acceptable to Aspinall, whose primary focus has always been on being recognized as the number one heavyweight in MMA, rather than pursuing a personal rivalry with Jones. Nevertheless, he acknowledges that if Jones decides to return in the future, “Bones” would likely be granted an immediate title challenge.
Aspinall shared his thoughts on The Diary Of A CEO podcast, stating, “I’m sure with where he’s at he can jump the queue anytime he wants. This time of year, down the line, we’ll have another three or four contenders knocking on for a title shot, I’m sure, but anytime someone like him wants to step up and say, ‘Listen, I want to fight again,’ they’re going to get an immediate title shot so I’m never going to count that out.”
He continued, “I’m in a spot in my career where there’s not all that much footage out there on me. Maybe he sees something on me in the next few fights and he thinks, ‘You know what? I can beat this guy. I’m going to come back and beat him.’ So mentally, I’m never counting that out. I think the fight could always pop back up and come back around on me, so that’s something that I would obviously accept.”
Jon Jones captured the undisputed heavyweight championship in 2023 by defeating Ciryl Gane for the belt that Francis Ngannou had vacated. He was then scheduled to defend it against Stipe Miocic, a fight that was delayed for a year due to a Jones injury. Although Jones achieved success at heavyweight, his career is primarily defined by his dominant run in the light heavyweight division.
At the age of 23, Jones became the youngest champion in UFC history when he defeated Mauricio Rua at UFC 128. He went on to secure 13 consecutive light heavyweight title victories, only losing the belt due to self-inflicted legal issues outside the octagon. (A title fight win over Daniel Cormier at UFC 214 was also overturned after Jones tested positive for performance-enhancing substances). In 30 professional bouts, Jones has never truly been defeated; his only official loss is a disqualification for illegal downward elbows in a fight against Matt Hamill that he was otherwise dominating.
When asked if he had a message for Jones, Aspinall responded respectfully.
Aspinall conveyed his respect, saying, “I think he’s had an amazing career and I think he should enjoy the rest of his life. If he truly feels like he’s done enough, which he keeps saying that he does, he will be at peace. He doesn’t need me or anybody else to tell him how good he’s done. He’ll know it himself, so I hope that he’s enjoying his life, he’s enjoying his family, and he’s celebrating his career because it’s been amazing.”
With Jon Jones`s fighting future seemingly behind him, Aspinall is now focusing on his first defense as the undisputed heavyweight champion. There isn`t one clear contender that fans are universally calling for, but Aspinall has a few potential opponents in mind.
Aspinall mentioned potential matchups, stating, “I’ve actually fought a lot of the top 10. One of the guys I’ve not fought is Ciryl Gane. I was actually chasing that fight a few times before. He was ducking and diving around himself a little bit, so he is due a little bit of a beating off me. I look forward to that.”
He added, “A couple more guys down the rankings, Jailton Almeida I’ve not fought, there’s a guy I’ve already beat called Alexander Volkov who’s doing really well for himself as well, so who knows? You never know in the heavyweight division. There’s a couple of up-and-coming guys who I’ve not mentioned as well, so there’s some good fights to be made over the next couple of years for sure.”
For a significant part of the last two years, Aspinall pursued a unification fight with Jones. However, this didn`t materialize as Jones was either injured or set on facing Miocic for his first title defense. This led Aspinall to defend an interim belt against Curtis Blaydes. Despite schedules potentially aligning after that, Jones declined to book a fight with the British star.
Consequently, Aspinall is eager to make up for lost time and aims to have two championship bouts in 2025.
Aspinall detailed his plans, stating, “I’m going to be fighting hopefully twice this year. That’s my plan, at least. I think I’ve wasted enough time now. We’re looking to get a fight booked quick and it’s looking like it’s going to be pretty soon anyway. Then hopefully if everything goes well in the first one, I’m uninjured, which is it’s easier said than done getting through a fight with a guy my size and coming out with no injuries, but if I can do that, I would like to fight at the end of the year as well. That would be perfect.”
