Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall is the best heavyweight fight in mixed martial arts not involving Francis Ngannou. Unfortunately, fans hoping to see the UFC champions collide in the cage may have to settle for a war of words instead.
Jones and Aspinall are the UFC heavyweight and interim heavyweight champions, respectively. Aspinall won the interim title against Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295. That fight replaced Jones vs. Stipe Miocic, which was scrapped after Jones suffered an injury in the weeks leading up. Aspinall’s interim title should grant him a unification fight against Jones, but that is not the case, at least not next. UFC president Dana White, Jones and Miocic intend for Jones vs. Miocic to play out despite no confirmed timeframe. There are rumors that Jones and Miocic will both retire after their fight. That means Aspinall would graduate to undisputed champ without receiving his rightfully earned title unifier.
Can’t get enough boxing and MMA? Get the latest in the world of combat sports from two of the best in the business. Subscribe to Morning Kombat with Luke Thomas and Brian Campbell for the best analysis and in-depth news.
Aspinall’s frustrations were expressed last week. He pointed out that Miocic had not won a fight in years. He greatly exaggerated the timeline, but it’s indeed been a long time since Miocic beat Daniel Cormier to defend the heavyweight title in August 2020. Miocic politely expressed interest in fighting Aspinall but only after the Jones fight.
“Since Stipe last won a fight, I have blown my knee out, went through the rehab process and had a year off,” Aspinall wrote. “I also had seven UFC fights, including four wins vs. Top 10 ranked opponents and won the interim title on two week’s notice.”
This reinvigorated the public conversation about the status of heavyweight. Jones joined the discourse a few days later. Jones boasted about his longevity while downplaying Aspinall’s achievements. Jones questioned the credibility of Aspinall’s opponents and accused the interim champ of “pretending like you’ve been chasing me your whole life.” The latter point is particularly moot considering Jones moved up to heavyweight 12 months ago. Aspinall replied to Jones, accusing him of having an overblown ego.
There is ammunition behind why interested parties want to preserve Jones vs. Miocic. The fight is past its best-before date, but it’s a high-profile title showdown between the most successful light heavyweight and heavyweight UFC champions. Jones argued that his fight with Miocic should take precedence because it was originally booked before Aspinall became the interim champion. Aspinall exited the debate but not before fanning the flames of a potential showdown with Jones.
