Tom Aspinall is onto Jon Jones.
The Heavyweight title fight the world is waiting for, unfortunately, doesn’t look like it will happen anytime soon, if ever. Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) currently has two titleholders between the undisputed and interim straps, held by Jones and Aspinall.
Typically, the two would fight next under normal circumstances. However, the promotion has maintained the stance that Jones will defend against former champion, Stipe Miocic, once Jones is fully healed from his recent injuries. Aspinall has been vocal about wanting to do the logical thing and face Jones to unify the titles. Coincidentally, the pair of Heavyweights had an impromptu meeting while doing meet-and-greets in Birmingham, England.
“I wanted to face off,” Aspinall said on The MMA Hour. “Jon’s smart, you know? … Jon will not say anywhere — you can’t find it, it’s not out there — that he will fight me. He won’t say it anywhere publicly. He won’t say it. You can’t find a clip, a quote, nothing, anywhere, of Jon Jones saying, ‘One day I’m going to fight Tom Aspinall, and I’m going to freaking beat the brakes off him. That’s what I’m going to do.’ That doesn’t exist. He doesn’t want any evidence, anywhere, of him agreeing to any kind of fight with me, because he doesn’t want to go back on that.
“He doesn’t want to do a faceoff because that promotes a potential fight,” he continued. “When I ask him, ‘Jon are we going to do this?’ He doesn’t say, ‘Absolutely. Let me get Stipe out of the way and we’ll do it.’ He’ll instead say, ‘Oh, maybe one day.’ Because he doesn’t want that quote of, ‘We’re going to fight one day.’ It’s super smart.”
Jones, 36, has expressed more openness to fighting Aspinall in recent months. Ultimately, the Brit doesn’t want to and won’t wait around forever, as he’s recently turned his attention towards a Curtis Blaydes rematch while Jones and Miocic handle their (potential) business.
“Honestly, I don’t spend my days thinking about Jon Jones,” Aspinall said. “On the contrary to what people think, I’m not desperate for it. That fight doesn’t define my career. It would be great, it would be nice, but I’ve got other ways to prove myself. I’m going to be around this sport for at least another five years. At least. Minimum. So it would be great. If I get the fight, fantastic. But I’m not like, ‘Oh, look at what Jon’s done again! It’s never going to happen! Oh my God!’ That’s Jon’s business. Jon can do his thing. If we fight, great. If we don’t, great as well. All respect to Jon Jones, one of the GOATs of the sport.”