Tag: tom aspinall

Tom Aspinall shuts down UFC title fights with Jon Jones, Stipe Miocic: ‘I’m too dangerous, man’

Tom Aspinall shuts down title fights with Jon Jones or Stipe Miocic I'm too dangerousUFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall believes there is a reason to why he is not facing either Jon…

Tom Aspinall shuts down title fights with Jon Jones or Stipe Miocic I'm too dangerous

UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall believes there is a reason to why he is not facing either Jon Jones or Stipe Miocic. 

Following his phenomenal first round knockout over then No.1 ranked Sergei Pavlovich, Aspinall cemented himself the division’s top contender. However, the UFC has instead decided to rebook Miocic Vs. Jones after the latter suffered an injury, leaving Tom Aspinall in a sort of limbo. 

Tom Aspinall claims he’s “too dangerous” for Jones – Miocic

Aspinall has tried to push for a fight with either man but remains without an opponent with both Jones and Miocic unwilling to face Aspinall next. Appearing on The MMA Hour, Aspinall believes it is simply because he poses too much danger, but also expressed his deep respect for both guys.

“I’m too dangerous, man,” he said. “Simple. I’m too risky for these guys. Who knows, one day maybe when the shoe’s on the other foot, and I’m on the back end of my career, I get put in a situation like that, I’ll do the same thing. I’m not blaming anybody.

“I want to say how much respect I have for both guys. These guys are friggin’ heroes of mine. That is part of the reason that I would love to get the opportunity to fight them. But if it’s not happening, it’s not happening. And the crying’s over.” (H/T MMA Fighting)

Aspinall revealed that the UFC had even offered him a fight with Miocic, which he accepted, however, the two-time heavyweight champion quickly shot down a fight with the Brit.

“They offered me Stipe, and I was like, of course,” Aspinall said. “And like one hour later, they came back and were like, ‘No, Stipe just wants to fight Jones.’

It’s unclear what exactly the UFC will do with Aspinall, but the 30-year-old might be facing an extended time out. 

What would you like to see Tom Aspinall do next? 

UFC star Jon Jones weighs up future fight with Tom Aspinall: ‘It’s definitely not off the table’

Jon Jones talks up fight with Tom Aspinall in the future that's definitely not off the table in UFCAmid confirmation that he’s likely set to skirt a rumored retirement from active competition ahead of his return to…

Jon Jones talks up fight with Tom Aspinall in the future that's definitely not off the table in UFC

Amid confirmation that he’s likely set to skirt a rumored retirement from active competition ahead of his return to the Octagon later this year, UFC heavyweight champion, Jon Jones now also appears receptive to the idea of a showdown with interim gold holder, Tom Aspinall. 

Jones, the current heavyweight champion and former two-time light heavyweight titleholder, has been sidelined since he clinched the vacant heavyweight crown back in March at UFC 285, turning in a first round guillotine choke submission win over Ciryl Gane.

And slated to make his return in a title defense against Stipe Miocic last November in Madison Square Garden, Jones was forced from the bout due to a pectoral tendon tear, resulting in the introduction of another interim crown into the division. 

Striking gold at the same event in New York, the aforenoted, Aspinall launched a stunning first round KO win over surging Russian contender, Sergei Pavlovich – landing the interim heavyweight title. 

Involved in a brewing rivalry with Atherton native, Aspinall in the time since, Jones has been linked with a retirement in the immediate aftermath of his title fight with Miocic, however, over the weekend, confirmed that he’s likely to continue fighting following his return.

Jon Jones talks up fight with Tom Aspinall

Offering hope to Aspinall in the form of a title unification fight in the future, Jones also revealed a long-anticipated fight with the British heavyweight was definitely a possibility before he hangs up his gloves.

“I’m really going to base whether I continue on how I compete against Stipe (Miocic), how I heal up from this injury,” Jon Jones told Submission Radio. “I could blow Stipe out of the water or it coule be an absolute war, and I feel like I need to take one step at a time before seeing what I do next.”

“But the Tom (Aspinall) fight is definitely not off the table – especially with how I’ve been feeling being out here,” Jon Jones explained. “I feel just totally reinvigorated and just reenergized just being around all these fans, so I can’t just walk away. The ball is rolling in a really positive direction for me to continue my career.”

Do you think Jon Jones will fight Tom Aspinall in the future?

Tom Aspinall reveals plans to attend UFC 300, teases title tilt with light heavyweight champ Alex Pereira

Tom Aspinall teases Alex Pereira fight at UFC 300Tom Aspinall is once again teasing a potential clash with reigning UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira at the…

Tom Aspinall teases Alex Pereira fight at UFC 300

Tom Aspinall is once again teasing a potential clash with reigning UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira at the promotion’s next big landmark event on April 13.

After scoring a vicious 69-second knockout against Sergei Pavlovich in November to claim the interim heavyweight title, Aspinall has been in a bit of a holding pattern with the division’s undisputed champ — Jon Jones — still recovering from a torn pectoral muscle. However, even when ‘Bones’ does return to action, he won’t be facing Aspinall in a title unification clash. Instead, Jones will rebook his previously scheduled showdown with heavyweight GOAT Stipe Miocic.

With no fight waiting for him at heavyweight, Aspinall has turned his attention toward former middleweight champion and current 205-pound king Alex Pereira. The two fighters have addressed, and often perpetuated, rumors of a potential matchup between the two at UFC 300 later this year.

Taking to Instagram, Aspinall once again fueled speculation with a screenshot indicating that he will be flying to Las Vegas during the weekend of UFC 300. Of course, that’s not terribly surprising as the promotion’s biggest stars are expected to be on hand for the event whether they are competing or not.

However, Aspinall’s inclusion of the Moai emoji — a stone-faced figure associated with Alex Pereira via a viral meme — has fans believing once again that Aspinall vs. ‘Poatan’ could potentially headline the UFC’s third centennial event.

received 1557392474802022

Alex Pereira Downplays rumors of a move to heavyweight

In December, Alex Pereira debunked rumors of a potential move to heavyweight, noting that he’s focused on building a successful campaign at 205 before seeking a third world title with the UFC.

“Well, [I] fought at middleweight and then [I] had to listen to [my] body to go up and fight at light heavyweight,” Pereira told TheMACLife through his translator. “[I’m] a fighter bro, [I’m] willing to fight. [I’ll] fight anybody, anywhere. But, this kind of thing – [I have] the height and [am] basically the size of a heavyweight, but this is the kind of thing that has to be programmed, put some work in, it’s not something to just jump in on an adventure like that.

“[I] want to make [the move] the right way. [I] can definitely fight at heavyweight – maybe someday for the future. But it’s gotta be something [that’s] well-planned. So right now [I’m] focused on [my] light heavyweight reign.”

But as they say in MMA, anything can happen. With the right amount of money and motivation, there is a very good chance we could see Pereira attempt to make history by becoming the UFC’s first-ever three-division champion.

Former Jon Jones foe believes ‘Bones’ is practicing ‘risk management’ by ducking Tom Aspinall fight

Jon JonesFormer UFC title challenger Dominick Reyes believes Jon Jones’ avoidance of a title unification fight with Tom Aspinall is…

Jon Jones

Former UFC title challenger Dominick Reyes believes Jon Jones’ avoidance of a title unification fight with Tom Aspinall is all about “risk management.”

Bones’ returned from a three-year-long layoff last March, walking into a heavyweight title fight with top-ranked contender Ciryl Gane. Jones made quick work of ‘Bon Gamin’ and was slated to defend the strap against consensus GOAT Stipe Miocic at UFC 295 in November. Unfortunately, Jones suffered a torn pectoral weeks before their scheduled scrap.

Instead, fans were treated to an interim heavyweight title fight pitting Tom Aspinall against Sergei Pavlovich. Aspinall came out on top, scoring a 69-second KO against the Russian knockout artist.

Typically, an interim titleholder moves on to fight the undisputed champ upon their return. However, it didn’t take long for Aspinall to realize that a fight with Jones wasn’t in his future. With the UFC determined to rebook Jones vs. Miocic for some time in 2024, it’s becoming more and more apparent that Aspinall will never get his dream match against ‘Bones.’

Aspinall Fight is ‘Too Dangerous’ For Jon Jones

Speaking with James Lynch in a MiddleEasy exclusive interview, Reyes, a former foe of Jon Jones inside the Octagon, understands why ‘Bones’ is avoiding a fight with Aspinall, likening it to when the two-division champ refused to sign on the dotted line for their own rematch following UFC 247.

“I completely understand where Jon [Jones] is coming from,” Reyes said. “Jon is Jon Jones, say his name anywhere in the world, and people recognize it. Fighting Tom [Aspinall] is a risk management thing. It’s almost the same reason why he didn’t rematch me kind of thing. It’s too dangerous and not enough payoff. Tom is an excellent fighter” (h/t MMA News).

In the eyes of many, Dominick Reyes should have walked away with the light heavyweight title after his five-round war with Jones in 2020.

Seeing a lot of himself in Aspinall, ‘The Devastator’ believes their potential meeting is a “super dangerous” one that offers minimal upside for ‘Bones’ when it comes to both money and legacy.

“Tom is very similar to myself, but he’s a heavyweight,” Reyes added. “That’s super dangerous. He moves extremely well, he’s very quick, his wrestling is really good, his grappling is good, his power is off the charts. How is that gonna benefit Jon? Beating the most recent champion? Nah, let’s fight the greatest heavyweight of all time, Stipe Miocic…Jon is a great himself, so he’s going to fight another active great.”

Tom Aspinall expected to score a ‘Freak show’ fight with Brock Lesnar at UFC 300: ‘I absolutely would be ready’

Tom AspinallTom Aspinall was all in on a “freak show” fight against Brock Lesnar at UFC 300. Since winning the…

Tom Aspinall

Tom Aspinall was all in on a “freak show” fight against Brock Lesnar at UFC 300.

Since winning the interim heavyweight world title in November, Aspinall has been in a bit of a holding pattern as undisputed champ Jon Jones recovers from a pectoral injury. Even when Jones returns, ‘Bones’ has his sights set on a divisional superfight with former two-time titleholder Stipe Miocic instead of the much more logical and intriguing unification clash with Aspinall.

As a result, rumors have been flying about some potential big-money matchups for the Salford, England native. During a recent interview with OLBG, Aspinall expected the promotion to pull together something crazy, like a fight with former heavyweight king Brock Lesnar or a champion vs. champion showdown with Alex Pereira.

“With the Jones palaver and all the politics around that, I was thinking they’d maybe give me some freak show kind of fight against Brock Lesnar, or maybe at UFC 300 they’d do something a bit out there like Alex Pereira but that doesn’t look likely now, I have no idea my next move, I’m kind of waiting about,” Aspinall said.

Tom Aspinall Eyeing Rematch with Curtis Blaydes

Aspinall has stayed ready for a potential appearance at the promotion’s next landmark event on April 13, but as we inch closer to the highly anticipated date, it’s looking more and more like he will enjoy the festivities from the stands instead of in the Octagon.

“I absolutely would be ready for UFC 300, I believe now it’s only three months away and I have been training twice a day since a week after my last fight, so my body is in good shape right now,” Aspinall added. “But there isn’t really a realistic opponent. The only realistic ones would be Pereira or Lesnar and they’re not really realistic.”

The most logical fight out there for Aspinall at the moment is a rematch with the only man who holds a victory over him under the UFC banner, Curtis Blaydes. Razor’ is scheduled for a scrap with Jailton Almeida at UFC 299 on March 9. Should he pass his test against the submission specialist, Blaydes could be in for a shot at Aspinall’s interim strap.

“I think I’ll have a rematch with Curtis Blaydes in the UK,” Aspinall said. “I’ve got one loss on my (UFC) record and it’s by injury to Blaydes. And if he wins his next fight – which is a tough fight – if he wins it makes sense to do me and him again at this point, because let’s be honest, I’m not going to get the Jones or Miocic fight the way it’s going. I like Curtis, but professionally he has a win over me and I don’t want him to.”

Interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall claims to have accepted a UFC 300 fight with Stipe Miocic

Tom AspinallCurrent interim heavyweight world champion Tom Aspinall accepted a fight with Stipe Miocic for UFC 300. Ever since his…

Tom Aspinall

Current interim heavyweight world champion Tom Aspinall accepted a fight with Stipe Miocic for UFC 300.

Ever since his title-winning performance against Sergei Pavlovich in November, Aspinall has been pushing hard for a unification clash with undisputed champ Jon Jones. Typically, the interim titleholder would go on to fight the linear champion, no ifs, and, or buts, but Aspinall has found himself in an unfavorable situation that could keep him sitting on the sidelines for the next year.

Instead, Jones, who is currently recovering from a pectoral tear, will return to fight the man he was originally scheduled to defend his title against at UFC 295, Stipe Miocic. The winner of that fight would then unify his belt with Aspinall’s, in theory. Even that is the subject of much debate as both ‘Bones’ and Miocic are slated to retire once their heavyweight superfight is in the books.

Recently, Tom Aspinall dropped a bombshell on social media, revealing that the UFC had contacted him about a potential fight with Stipe Miocic at the promotion’s next landmark event on April 13. Aspinall says he accepted the fight only for Miocic to turn it down, opting to wait for Jones.

“While we are talking about @stipemiocic , my manager was contacted by the UFC asking if I’d like to fight him on apr 13th. I, of course, accepted,” Aspinall wrote on X.

“A little later, we were told that @stipemiocic doesn’t want to fight me, and only interested in fighting @JonnyBones,” Aspinall added.

Tom Aspinall Throws In The Towel

With Jones still recovering from injury, there’s no anticipated date for Jones vs. Miocic, though summer 2024 is looking likely. Acquiescing to the fact that he won’t be fighting either UFC legend anytime soon (or ever), Aspinall has teased a potential UFC 300 clash with Alex Pereira, though it’s starting to look like the UK fan favorite will be sitting out of the promotion’s mega-sized centennial card.

“On that note. I will stop crying, accept it ain’t gonna happen and enjoy the fight that me and all the other fans want to see. Legend vs legend for the heavyweight title. Maximum respect guys. Yay,” Aspinall concluded.