UFC 300 is set to be one of the biggest and most important cards in the history of the UFC. Therefore, it is no surprise that a host of fighters are jostling in order to secure a spot on the card. This includes interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall who is waiting patiently on the sidelines for a fight. Just a few weeks ago he had hinted at a showdown with Alex Pereira but fans may not get to see the match.
Aspinall took to Twitter to share a question with his fans. He said, “Who should I fight in 2024?”. In response to the said question, a fan replied saying, “Poatan”. Aspinall replied to the message shutting down hopes of a fight between him and Alex Pereira. He said,
“He wants to defend his 205 title. Which I understand.”
He wants to defend his 205 title. Which I understand https://t.co/EOGvo3abIS
— Tom Aspinall (@AspinallMMA) December 31, 2023
In another reply to his question, a fan pointed out a rather interesting matchup for Aspinall. The Interim heavyweight champion acknowledged the idea. Aspinall tweeted,
“Winner of blaydes almeida sounds good.”
Winner of blaydes almeida sounds good https://t.co/Je8R6YtfRI
— Tom Aspinall (@AspinallMMA) December 31, 2023
Tom Aspinall delivered one of the standout performances of this year at UFC 295. The Brit stopped Sergei Pavlovich in round one to claim the interim heavyweight UFC championship. The card was initially supposed to be headlined by Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic. However, an injury to Jon Jones forced him out of the fight. The UFC had to then scramble together an interim title fight between Aspinall and Pavlovic.
Tom Aspinall is now the interim heavyweight champion of the world. However, even though he achieved a life-long dream, Aspinall finds himself between a rock and a hard place. Let’s take a closer look at what the issue at hand is.
Tom Aspinall to sit out for a year in the hopes of a title unification?
Jon Jones’ injury means that he will be out for 8-9 months. This means that Jones will be eligible to fight in the second half of 2024. Dana White has repeatedly stated that Tom Aspinall will fight the winner of Jones vs Miocic. While on paper this is a dream for Aspinall, in reality, it means that he will be sidelined for closer to a year during his fighting prime for no fault of his own.
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There is a very strong chance that Tom Aspinall pushes for a fight before Miocic and Jones get in the ring. If that is the case, as mentioned earlier, a fight against the winner of Curtis Blaydes vs Jailton Almeida makes a lot of sense.The two men will face each other at UFC 299. Aspinall also has a history against Curtis Blaydes. When the two men faced each other in July 2023, a knee injury during the fight forced Tom Aspinall to retire from the fight. Not only will a potential fight against Blaydes allow him to fix the outcome of the first fight, it will also make sure that he stays active.
