The UFC’s heavyweight division is currently in limbo. After winning the belt, Jones was supposed to take on Stipe Miočić in a legacy-defining fight. However, a serious injury forced him out of the fight. In the meantime, the UFC set up an interim title, which Tom Aspinall won in an extremely impressive manner. Since the win, Aspinall has been desperately trying to get a fight against either Jones or Miocic. However, with no success so far, Aspinall took to Twitter to share what he plans on doing next.
In a series of tweets, Aspinall explained the situation at hand so far. The British champion has been going back and forth with Jon Jones over the past few weeks. Aspinall has been demanding that Jones be stripped of the title since he will be on the sidelines for a long period. Jones, on the other hand, feels that Aspinall has not achieved enough to have such lofty demands.
The current interim champion took to Twitter to shed light on the most recent development regarding his career. He stated that the UFC asked him if he would be willing to fight Stipe Miočić at UFC 300, and Aspinall agreed.
Unfortunately, he was informed that Miocic did not want to fight him and wanted to wait for Jones instead. The 30-year-old then posted on Twitter saying,
“On that note. I will stop crying, accept it ain’t gonna happen and enjoy the fight that me and all the other fans want to see. Legend vs legend for the heavyweight title. Maximum respect guys. Yay.”
Unfortunately for Aspinall, this means that he will have to sit on the sidelines, perfectly healthy in the prime of his fighting career.
More on: Situation between Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall?
Aspinall last fought in November last year. He stopped Pavlovich inside one round to win the interim title at UFC 295. Unfortunately for him, as things stand, it looks as though he will have to wait at least a year before he fights again.
The UFC will not book another interim title fight for Aspinall. Their only hope was to secure a fight against Miocic with the winner taking on Jones when he returns.
Since Miocic has declined that offer, the UFC will have to wait for Jones vs. Miocic to finish before offering the winner to Aspinall. Jones is set to return in the second half of 2024.
Keeping in mind time for training camp as well as time for recovery after the fight, it could easily be late 2024 before Tom Aspinall steps into a UFC octagon again. This is assuming everyone stays healthy. In any case, this is not an ideal situation for the UFC or Tom Aspinall.
