The UFC’s heavyw͏e͏ight division has ͏b͏e͏en in a s͏lump since last year. With Jon͏ J͏ones as the champion and Tom ͏Asp͏in͏all as the interim heavyweigh͏t c͏hamp, the 2͏60 lbs division has be͏come ͏quit͏e confusing. However, things might turn pretty interesting after UFC 309 as Jon Jones is finally stepping inside the Octagon against his rival Stipe Miocic for a last dance. Both the fighters might retire after this fight, so does this mean that Tom Aspinall would become the champion by default? Well, according to the interim heavyweight champion the UFC has some big plans for him.
While in conversation with renowned MMA journalist Ariel Helwani, Tom Aspinall gave the MMA community some subtle hints about what’s been happening in the background of the heavyweight division. According to the Britisher, things are going to get pretty interesting and exciting for him as well as the division. When Helwani asked whether or not he was the backup fighter for the UFC 309 match, Aspinall added, “Yes, it is official. I mean, Dana announced it a while ago now, but I didn’t actually hear anything from the UFC. However, now that we’ve spoken, everything’s going good.”
He further added, “We’ve come to an agreement about it, we know what’s happening going forward, and we’ve got plans. We’ve got future fight plans, everything is right there. It is going to be a good couple of years—big plans, big, big, massive plans. We have other options in place too, in case one guy wants to retire, one guy wants to continue, or both guys want to retire. Whatever happens, we have all bases covered, luckily.”
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Tom Aspinall confirms he is the back up fighter for #UFC309. Says he doesn’t believe the winner will fight him. Thinks he will be moved up to undisputed champion.#HelwaniShow pic.twitter.com/kTSPgbg5P7
— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) October 14, 2024
Further, when Helwani asked Tom Aspinall whether there was a sense of urgency for him to secure the title if both fighters retired after the fight, his answer was a resounding yes, “That’s probably the most likely.” This already has a precedent, as back on December 7th, 2017 when the then-middleweight champion Georges St-Pierre vacated the title after being diagnosed with colitis. As a result, Robert Whittaker was crowned as the new champion.
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It appears that Tom Aspinall would finally get his hands on the undisputed title after a year of back-and-forth with Jon Jones. Interestingly, despite ducking the Britisher, Jones believes that Aspinall is no match for him. How did Aspinall react to it? Let us find out.
Tom Aspinall’s obnoxious reaction to Jon Jones ‘No-Match’ jibe
When you have 15 victories and 3 losses, with 14 of those victories coming by way of first-round finishes, it’s a bit odd when your opponent claims you are no match for them and that’s what Tom Aspinall is feeling right now after Jon Jones emphasized that Aspinall would not be able to match him in terms of title fight victories. Regardless, of this, the Britisher was epically calm about the hubbub.
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While talking to Ariel Helwani, he said, “I don’t want to win as many championships as him. I just want to be the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. That’s all… Don’t care [about breaking Jones’ record]. I want to make as much money as I can in the shortest amount of time possible and then bounce and do something else. And I want to get out of this sport healthy so once I’ve done what I want to do, I’ll be done. I’ve got no interest in being the best heavyweight ever.”
Jon Jones has defended his light-heavyweight title for years. No one could have clinched the title away from him till he was there at the division. That was the dominance of the GOAT but Aspinall has what it takes to replicate it will he be able to get past Jones’s record? Only time will tell. Regardless, what’s your take on the situation? State your thoughts in the comments below.