Are we getting Tom Aspinall vs. Jon Jones any time soon?
Tom Aspinall is the interim UFC Heavyweight Champion. Jon Jones is the official UFC Heavyweight Champion. The thing is that Aspinall won the interim belt because Jones became injured during his training leading up to his fight against Stipe Miocic.
However, Jones fought Miocic at UFC 309 and won via TKO. Naturally, the next contender should be Aspinall as he is the Interim Heavyweight Champion. But Jones doesn’t seem too thrilled to step into the cage against the 31-year-old. He’s stated in the past that the fight wouldn’t add much to his legacy, though he's willing to fight Aspinall for the right price.
Tom Aspinall has given fans an update about the potential fight and the Interim champion sounds ready to go against Jones. But Aspinall highlights the thing that’s holding the fight up and it's Jones’ team.
“Where we’re at right now is I have spoke to the UFC on multiple occasions about this fight. I’m chasing it. I want the fight.” Aspinall said on his Youtube channel. "I’ve been on record and said that I want the fight. I’ve been on the phone with the UFC saying that I want the fight, when’s it happening? I want the fight more than anyone. What is holding it up right now is his side. That’s the truth of it.”
Aspinall even says that UFC and Dana White really want to make this fight happen. He’s just waiting for a date and time to lace up the gloves.
“The UFC really, really want the fight to happen,” Aspinall said. “They told me that. As I said, this is one of the biggest fights that can be made in MMA right now and everybody knows that. Everybody knows it. It’s just does he want to put himself in a position where he’s comfortable enough financially to take the risk that he’s taking to fight me. That is where we’re at.
“As far as I’m aware, this is totally down to Jon Jones and his team to work that out. Because I’m in. The UFC are in. They assure me that they desperately want to make the fight every time I speak to them. They said ‘we are working as hard as we can on the fight.’ I’m literally just waiting for a date.”
Aspinall goes on and states that he’ll be fine if Jones rejects the fight. He’s looking to fight anyone in the heavyweight division and isn’t trying to hold it back any further. His only condition is that the fight must be for the undisputed title. That shouldn't be a problem since the Interim and Heavyweight match-up a unification bouts that determine the true champion.
There’s no word if Aspinall’s claims are true as neither Dana White or Jon Jones have confirmed or denied Aspinall’s statement. Hopefully, this issue gets resolved sooner than later as it's a shame that the heavyweight division continues to be held back for lengthy periods of time.