Tom Aspinall has explicitly stated his belief that Jon Jones should be deprived of the Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight prize. His views come after his all-too-recent triumph where he clinched the interim heavyweight championship status. He accomplished this notable feat by overcoming a formidable foe, the Russian powerhouse Sergei Pavlovich, in a short-notice match at UFC 295, which only lasted 69 seconds.
Contrary to what was initially planned, the event’s highlight was supposed to be a heavyweight contest between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic. However, in an unfortunate twist of events, Jones suffered a severe pectoral tear just weeks before the bout, causing him to withdraw. The promoters did not tender a replacement adversary for Miocic, and instead launched an interim heavyweight championship match with Aspinall and Pavlovich. This decision was grounded in the belief that providing Miocic an interim title bout would be “disrespectful”.
Nonetheless, there was no official word on Jones forfeiting the title due to his failure to compete for a considerable period. This irregularity has many upset, including Aspinall. Dana White, the UFC’s CEO, insists that the matchup between Jones and Miocic is still a priority for the organization, due to its legacy status. However, despite his concerns about the legacy fight, Aspinall is steadfast in his belief that he deserves a shot at the undisputed title.
Aspinall went on to boldly assert in an interview with Michael Bisping that he thinks Jon Jones should be stripped of his title, describing the existing situation as nonsensical while claiming that he should be the actual champion. He boldly posed the question, “Who’s asked about Jon Jones and Stipe anymore?”, questioning the merit of this so-called legacy fight and the seemingly preferential treatment of certain fighters. Aspinall emphatically stated his desire to personally take on Stipe and later, Jon Jones himself, dismissing the concealment and protection of the latter. He firmly declared, “If he’s injured, get out of the way and I’ll fight Stipe.”