Interim UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall reveals hate messages he has received since he began campaigning for a Jon Jones fight.
Since the dispatching of Sergei Pavlovich in little over a minute, Aspinall cemented himself as the clear number one contender to Jon Jones. However, the UFC are keen to rebook Jones Vs. Stipe Miocic after jones had to withdraw from the fight due to injury.
Aspinall has taken to social media in an attempt to make his case to be the one to face Jones next rather than Miocic, who despite his previous career success has not won a fight since September 2020. Tom Aspinall even said he would face Miocic next but will likely have to wait if he wants his next fight to be for UFC gold.
Tom Aspinall reveals he has received death threats
Sports fans can be a passionate bunch, however, there is always that small portion to take it too far. Social media has made it easier for toxic fanbases to get access to athletes, often sending vile and hateful messages.
Many top-level athletes have revealed that they have even been on the receiving end of death threats and Aspinall is no different. Speaking with OLBG, Aspinall discussed the extreme level of hate he has received after his attempts to make a fight with Jones.
“People on the internet are wild,” Aspinall said. “You have to kind of see it for what it is. It’s not real life, a lot of it comes from jealousy. People don’t like to see other people do well, unfortunately that’s the way of the world. With a lot of love comes a lot of hate as well. That’s the way the cookie crumbles unfortunately.”
Tom Aspinall or Jon Jones?
@AdamCatterall, @Bisping, and @Peety_editor discuss who will be the UFC heavyweight champion at the end of 2024
— UFC on TNT Sports (@ufcontnt) January 17, 2024
“I’m human so it affects me sometimes,” the 30-year-old continued. “But I try to just turn a blind eye to it and just crack on. The internet is a strange place. I clicked on my message requests by accident the other day and people are sending me death threats for wanting to fight Jon Jones, who’s the best in the world and it’s madness. You just think what the f*** is going on in your life that you want to say that you want to kill somebody else because they want to fight, it’s madness.” (H/T OLBG)
Should Tom Aspinall be next in line for Jon Jones?