Dana White Confirms Tom Aspinall Won’t Face Stipe Miocic Next
Dana White has ruled out a fight between the UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall and Stipe Miocic as his next bout.
Those comments arrived after Aspinall called for Jones Jones to be stripped of his title, giving him a chance to fight Miocic for the belt, with the winner then facing Jones. Bones had to pull out of his UFC 295 clash with Miocic after suffering a sparring injury to his pectoral muscle. The fighter underwent surgery, with no official timeline for his return. While he is expected to return in 2024, the division could be stagnated.
Aspinall Vs. Jones
“I think Jon Jones should be stripped from the title to be honest, because everyone else does when they get injured like that. [And] I don’t see why he’s still got it. I don’t understand that. I think I should be the real champion right now. It’s hard to say without sounding rude, but who’s asked about Jon Jones and Stipe anymore?” Aspinall revealed
However, White has dismissed the idea of Jones being stripped.
“No[fight]. And we’re not stripping Jon Jones either. He’s the greatest mixed martial artist of all time. You’re a young guy. You were injured there for a while. You’ll get your shot. Just wait. This fight has to happen and then we’ll figure out what’s next for you,” White said
Aspinall is undoubtedly making a name for himself in the division. The MMA fighter returned in impressive form from his knee injury against Curtis Blaydes. The Brit bounced back with stoppage wins over Marcin Tybura and Sergei Pavlovic, both of which were in the first round. That increased the calls for him to face Jones. But moving forward, White urged the fighter to be patient. In the meantime, he was not opposed to Aspinall fighting once again before Jones’s return.
Aspinall’s Future
“Aspinall could possibly fight again, I don’t know. We’ll see how this plays out going into the next year, but Jones and Stipe, the fight, they both deserve it. Jon Jones got injured, there’s nothing he can do about it. I don’t know, we’ll see what happens in ‘24 If Aspinall wants to fight before that fight happens, why not? Why not let him defend it?” White
White’s reasoning is understandable, given what is at stake. Miocic is arguably the best heavyweight that the UFC has ever seen. Meanwhile, Jones is considered the best MMA fighter of all time. Before the fight, there were suggestions that the winner could retire from the sport. Miocic is 41 and has not fought since he was knocked out by Francis Ngannou in 2021.
Similarly, Jones’ activity has been hampered since he recently returned from three years out of the sport to beat Ciryl Gane for the vacant title. The heavyweight division will certainly heat up if Aspinall continues to put in impressive performances. And with Jones having dominated for so long, the Brit does present a formidable challenge. So, to secure those fights, Aspinall must keep winning.
‘Find all the latest boxing news and MMA breaking updates on boxingnews.com’
