Aspinall Says He Is Back-Up For Jones Vs. Miocic – ‘I Should Be Undisputed’
Tom Aspinall says he is backup for Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic, meaning he will step in if either one pulls out.
Aspinall is coming off a first-round stoppage win against Curtis Blaydes as he successfully defended his UFC Interim Heavyweight Belt. It was the perfect response to avenge the only loss he had suffered against Blaydes in 2022. Before the fight happened, Dana White confirmed that the winner would face Jones or Miocic. Tom also called out Jones after his win, as he put the pressure on the American to take up the challenge.
Aspinall Reacts
“I’m going to be the backup for the fight if one of them falls out. You better believe I’ll be in there on an hour’s notice if I need to. Yeah, I’ll take my opportunity while it’s there. I should be the undisputed heavyweight champion, everyone knows that now. It’s not just something I’m claiming off of one fluke victory. Aspinall is ready to put himself in a position to make the fight happen by being on standby.
“My body of work over the last few years shows that. I’ve taken out every contender there is at this point. I should be the UFC heavyweight champion, undisputed. I’m the best heavyweight in the world, I’ll wipe out both in one night if I need to,” Aspinall said
Despite this, there is speculation that the winner of Jones-Miocic will retire. That has fuelled the narrative that Jones is ducking Aspinall. Bones has even said that a fight with Alex Pereira is much bigger more globally. But since Aspinall has been in a mandatory position for a prolonged period, a fight with Pereira would not sit well. Jones’ activity also shows that he is not guaranteed to fight Aspinall.
Aspinall Vs. Jones
He only returned last year after three years out of the sport to face Ciryl Gane. Jones beat Gane at UFC 285 to win the vacant UFC Heavyweight Title. He was on course to defend it against Miocic at UFC 295. But he suffered a pectoral muscle injury, which required surgery. While Aspinall wanted Jones stripped so he could face Miocic for the belt, White refused. Aspinall admitted he still had doubts over whether the Jones fight would happen.
“I have no idea. I’d like to think he would but at this point is Jon Jones even fighting Stipe? We don’t know. We have no idea. Like I said, Jon Jones is a bit of an unusual guy. You don’t get what you see. He’s tricky, slimy, snaky, he’s does different movements. He says one thing, does another. So I don’t know. I have no idea to be honest.
“Jon got one win in the heavyweight division. I got eight, all finishes. I’m not saying my résumé is better than Jon Jones because it isn’t. It’s not close. He’s way better than me but as far as heavyweights go, I’m the best heavyweight in the world,” Aspinall stated
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