UFC interim heavyweight champion, Tom Aspinall, wrecked No. 4-ranked contender, Curtis Blaydes, to defend his substitute strap in the UFC 304 pay-per-view (PPV) co-main event last Sat. night (July 27, 2024) inside Co-op Live in Manchester, England. The victory avenged his 2022 loss to “Razor” and secured his third straight victory, leading to a post-fight callout of reigning 265-pound titleholder Jon Jones.
”Hello, Jon, I have nothing against you personally,” Aspinall said after the fight. “I just think I’m better than you. I just know that I can beat you in a fight, so I’m coming for it.”
Jones, 37, has yet to defend the heavyweight title thanks to as debilitating pectoral injury and is expected to make his return against former division champion, Stipe Miocic, atop the promotion’s return to Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Aspinall, 31, will “absolutely” fight the winner at some point in 2025.
Jones, who previously dismissed Aspinall as any kind of worthy challenger, did not post a UFC 304 reaction to his social media channels. That said, he’s likely to have an opinion on the updated betting lines, which now have Jones and Aspinall deadlocked at -110 apiece.
“Bones” was previously the odds-on betting favorite.
Despite the “uprising” from fans following the UFC 304 event, the promotion is likely to move forward with Jones vs. Miocic. That means benching Aspinall until further notice — and we still don’t know what the future holds for either Jones or Miocic.
A post-fight retirement announcement is not out of the question.