Tom Aspinall Unconcerned About Fighting Jon Jones – ‘I Am Here To Create My Own Legacy’
The UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion Tom Aspinall is not too hung up on fighting Jon Jones.
Aspinall has been chasing Jones since the Heavyweight Champion pulled out of his UFC 295 title defense against Stipe Miocic. Bones injured his pectoral muscle, which required surgery. Aspinall wanted the UFC to strip Jones to prevent the division from being held up. That would allow Aspinall to face Miocic for the vacant title.
That would allow the winner to then face Jones. Dana White rejected that, meaning Aspinall was added to the UFC 295 card. He faced Sergei Pavlovich, knocking him out in the first round. Aspinall will now rematch Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 in a rematch of their 2022 clash. Blaydes is the only man to have beaten. While a win over Blaydes will increase the calls on Aspinall to rematch Jones, the Brit was not letting that get to win.
Aspinall On Jones
“I mean, I’d like [the fight] obviously. I’ve been rallying for it for a long time now. I’ve not got the fight, and I don’t know if it’s ever going to happen but, I’m not really bothered. I am here to create my own legacy, and I’m trying to be great myself.”
“But, I don’t need Jon Jones to do that. If I could get that, fantastic, I really think I could beat him. But, I’m not focused on that right now, to be honest. I’m just thinking about Curtis Blaydes [right now] and that’s it,” Aspinall stated
Nevertheless, Dana White wants to make that fight happen next. Fans already missed out on a Francis Ngannou bout. The Predator left the UFC as contract talks broke down. He would then sign a deal with the PFL, as Jones dismissed doing a co-promotional deal to make the fight. Since then, Ngannou has not looked the same. He has had two boxing fights, losing to Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.
White Responds
His last MMA fight was in 2022, when he beat Ciryl Gane before leaving the UFC. White has picked Jones to beat Ngannou if they ever square off. He even claimed it would be a one-sided win, referencing Jones’ recent win over Gane. He was out of the sport for three years before returning to get a submission win. That is why White does not want to miss out on the biggest fight, saying he hopes it happens after the Aspinall UFC 304 bout. That all depends on whether Brit wins and whether Jones beats Miocic on his return.
“First of all, he has to fight Stipe. That fight just has to happen. The next fight should be Aspinall. If Jon Jones beats Stipe, then Aspinall… He’s gonna come out and fight Stipe and the fact that he could fight Aspinall, it’s unbelievable. He will truly not be appreciated until he’s gone,” White said
The fight has been brewing, and with Conor McGregor recently pulling out of UFC 303, this is a fight that could break records. McGregor-Chandler set a new UFC record of over $20 million for a live gate. Jones vs. Aspinall could challenge that.
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