Former two-time UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic has responded to Tom Aspinall’s latest campaign against him.
Ever since Aspinall walked out of Madison Square Garden with the interim heavyweight title around his waist, the heavy-hitting Brit has had a chip on his shoulder. Typically, an interim champion immediately moves on to unify their gold with that of the undisputed world champion. In this case, that would be Jon ‘Bones’ Jones. However, Aspinall will instead sit on the sidelines as the UFC moves forward with plans to book a heavyweight superfight between Miocic and Jones.
Though Aspinall is expected to fight the winner, that could leave him sitting on the sidelines for the next year. An unacceptable reality for a fighter who just bounced back from a year-long layoff due to an unfortunate knee injury.
As a result, Aspinall has been lambasting both fighters in interviews and on social media. After taking a brief break over the holiday, he got right back to it by going in on Miocic via a series of posts online that disputed the ex-titleholder’s spot against ‘Bones’ in 2024.
“Last time Stipe fought and won, GTA: San Andreas had just come out on PS2,” Aspinall wrote, kicking of a series of scathing remarks. “He will fight next for the undisputed heavyweight title, ahead of me, who’s the interim champ, active and ranked #1 in the world right now. This makes me quite upset.”
Stipe Miocic Opens the door for title unification clash with Tom Aspinall
Miocic has since responded to Tom Aspinall, making it clear that he is not part of the decision-making process in the UFC, nor is he the one responsible for delaying his clash with Jones which was originally scheduled to go down the very night that Aspinall claimed his first UFC title.
“I have never caused a delay in the Jon fight,” Miocic wrote on X. “Tom, once I get this win, let’s talk to unify the belt.”
Most fight fans are under the impression that both Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic have plans to retire once cashing in on their heavyweight title tilt. Perhaps that won’t be the case with Aspinall’s star beginning to rise.
Regardless, it’s frustrating to see one of the division’s most exciting talents sidelined for the foreseeable future to book a bout that makes very little sense in the grand scheme of things.