Tom Aspinall did everything he could, trying to convince UFC undisputed heavyweight champion Jon Jones to fight him. Right after the Englishman became the interim heavyweight champ spectacularly at UFC 295, there were almost universal calls for him to face the undisputed champion, which is an unwritten rule of the sport.

Jones, however, has been insistent he wants to fight Stipe Miocic, despite the latter being 41, having last fought two years ago, and almost certainly at the end of his rope. And Tom Aspinall, after having called out Jones repeatedly, and even confronting ‘Bones’ in person, to try to convince him, has given up, as he revealed in a recent interview.

Tom Aspinall ‘at peace’ knowing he’ll never fight Jon Jones

The reasons Jon Jones has given to not fight Tom Aspinall are many. ‘Bones’ feels that neither the interim champ has a big enough name, nor a resume and also will do nothing for his already illustrious legacy. Aspinall, having tried everything in his power to get Jones to fight him, has taken the black pill on the bout ever happening. In an interview with the YouTube channel ‘mainevent’, ‘Honey Badger’ claimed that he had resigned himself to the fact that he will never face Jones in the octagon, despite him (and the fans) desperately wanting it.

“It’s [a fight with Jon Jones] not going to happen mate. It’s not happening so I’m not bothered about it… I’m not saying that I wouldn’t like it, I’d absolutely love that fight. I think I’ve made it pretty obvious that that’s the fight that I wanted um and I still would, of course. But… I’m shooting in the dark with that one… There’s nothing going on with that,” he said.

Not only is Jones against a unification bout with Aspinall, but Dana White in various interviews and press talks has indicated that he is with Jones in wanting the undisputed champ to fight Stipe Miocic. This is why Aspinall is probably right to not torture himself and the fans further over something he has no control over. After all, it is better for him to move on and focus on defending his interim title against the other top heavyweights. Speaking of which, Aspinall unsurprisingly thinks that his next fight will be for the ‘real title’.

Tom Aspinall thinks real fans know the stakes for his UFC 304 clash

Tom Aspinall unambiguously declared his upcoming UFC 304 fight with Curtis ‘Razor’ Blaydes as the actual heavyweight championship bout, not Jones-Miocic. ‘Razor’ had handed ‘Honey Badger’ the only loss in his career after Aspinall blew his knee fifteen seconds into their Fight Night clash two years ago. And Aspinall is sure that the ‘real fans’ know that, regardless of it being for the interim title, his July 27 clash with Blaydes will decide who is the best heavyweight mixed martial artist in the world.

“Let’s make no mistake, this fight [against Curtis Blaydes] is for the number one heavyweight in the world regardless of titles… The real fans, the real guys know this fight defines who’s the best everywhere in the world,” he said.

Of course, Jon Jones may not take kindly to his name being besmirched by Aspinall and decide to shut down any talks of ducking once and for all. To do this, he will have to face Aspinall, which he can decide to do after the Miocic fight, which he is almost definitely going to win. But, despite ‘Honey Badger’s resignation, a Jones-Aspinall fight is not completely out of the realm of possibility, although it does look pretty unlikely.

Do you think Jones will ever be ready to fight Aspinall sometime in the future? Drop your views in the comments below.