UFC 309 will witness the fight fans have waited too long for: Jon Jones versus Stipe Miocic. It is a big fight, so it is obvious that Tom Aspinall, the interim heavyweight champion, is the best name for a backup in case either of the fighters withdraw in the final moments. It is a pragmatic approach for Aspinall. But Curtis ‘Razor’ Blaydes thinks otherwise. Why?

In his new interview with Inside Fighting, Blaydes discussed Jones versus Miocic as well as Aspinall being the backup. He just doesn’t see Jones versus Aspinall happening by any chance. “I don’t see it happening because they are both gonna have an excuse, but the same reasoning like, ‘Oh, Aspinall is not worth the money. He is not worth that. We are not going to get paid the same as if I were fighting my original opponent.’ And I know they have already agreed to it.”

“That is why Aspinall is the backup, but yeah. I don’t, if either of them is injured or whatever week of, it is gonna get scrap. They are just gonna scrap it.”

Well, this is not something ‘Honey Badger’ will be happy to hear. However, Blaydes isn’t the only one with such an opinion. In September, Daniel Cormier said something similar as well.

“Neither one of those guys is fighting Tom Aspinall if they don’t have to. It’ll be Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane or somebody for the interim championship because those guys [Jones and Miocic] are fighting each other and nobody else.”

Plus, let us not forget that UFC 309 might be the last chance for us to see Jones and Miocic in action regardless of who wins. Both the fighters have been contemplating retirement. So amid all this, will Tom Aspinall even get a chance for a title unification fight with Jones?

Jon Jones wants to retire, but is Tom Aspinall’s fight likely to happen?

Talking to ‘Clocked N’ Loaded’ after Noche UFC, Jones said, “It’s going to be the last time. More than likely.” This would be a crushing blow to Tom Aspinall, who has been looking forward to fighting ‘Bones.’ However, according to the ‘American Gangster’ AKA Chael Sonnen, Aspinall vs. Jones will happen.

He said on his YouTube channel. “I don’t believe this is going to be Jon’s last fight. I don’t believe there’s a scenario in which Jon Jones does not fight Tom Aspinall. I believe that if Jon beats Stipe, he draws right into Tom Aspinall and doesn’t flinch. But I know for sure, if Jon loses to Stipe, Jon is going to draw right into Tom Aspinall, and he’s not even going to flinch.”

So it seems, like Tom Aspinall, we will all have to wait and see what happens. But let us not forget that ‘Bones’ is 37 and might not compete for too long. The fact that he is thinking about retirement is evidence enough for us.

Back in August, Jones had shared he wasn’t interested in facing the British fighter and there was a section of fans who thought he was ducking the fight. But Dana White had Jones’s back. He said, “Dislike him; whatever your beef is with Jon Jones, knock yourself out. There’s no way in hell that Jon Jones doesn’t want to fight Aspinall. That I guarantee you.”

Now, in a hypothetical situation, what happens if Jones retires without facing Aspinall? The latter already has a plan in place. He would want to face the winner of Volkov versus Gane. Let us not forget that a potential fight between Aspinall versus Gane would really entice the European market with the English vs. French narrative.

There are still a few ifs and buts, but until then, we can focus on UFC 309: Jones versus Miocic. What are your predictions for the fight? Let us know in the comments below.