Interim heavyweight champion, Tom Aspinall claims despite his best intentions, he was “blacklisted” from last night’s press event ahead of UFC 309 – with speculation rife regarding his status after the flagship card.
Aspinall, the current interim heavyweight champion, is slated to serve as the official backup to tomorrow’s main event clash between fellow titleholder, Jon Jones and the returning, Stipe Miocic – weighing in during today’s early morning.
Landing at 254.8lbs for the heavyweight clash as an official backup, Aspinall most recently featured back in June, successfully defending his interim crown in a rematch clash at UFC 304 against perennial contender, Curtis Blaydes.
Avenging his sole promotional loss to boot in a return to his native Manchester, Tom Aspinall turned in a spectacular first round win, stopping Blaydes with a first round knockout win.
Tom Aspinall claims he was “blacklisted” from UFC 309 presser
And officially serving as the backup fighter to tomorrow’s main event fight between arch-rival, Jones and former two-time titleholder, Miocic, Atherton fan-favorite, Aspinall claims he was prevented from attending last night’s pre-fight press conference, ultimately “blacklisted” from the event.
“I asked to be at the press conference, and I was told, ‘No’,” Tom Aspinall told the UFC 309 weigh-in show. “So, I was trying to go – I got blacklisted, I got blacklisted from the press conference.”
Voicing his displeasure with a potential future title unification fight with Aspinall in the future, heavyweight champion, Jones claimed this week that the British fighter and his fans were just “assholes”, and how he did not want to share the Octagon with him.
“If I’m being completely honest, I feel like Tom’s been such an asshole that I don’t want to do business with him.
“His fans have been so annoying and obviously you don’t get this far in a career being affected by fans or what not, but he’s just an asshole”