Tom Aspinall isn`t spending time worrying about Jon Jones` future plans.
As the newly recognized undisputed UFC heavyweight champion—a status he achieved following Jones` decision to step away—Aspinall is now anticipating his next title defense. Previously, Aspinall held the interim championship, successfully defending it once while hoping for a unification bout with Jones. However, “Bones” never agreed to face Aspinall to unify the belts.
This outcome is acceptable to Aspinall, who has consistently stated that his main objective is to be acknowledged as the top heavyweight fighter in MMA, rather than focusing on a rivalry with Jones. Nevertheless, Aspinall acknowledges that if Jones decides to return to fighting, he would likely be immediately granted a title shot.
“I’m sure with where he’s at he can jump the queue anytime he wants,” Aspinall commented. “This time of year, down the line, we’ll have another three or four contenders knocking on for a title shot, I’m sure, but anytime someone like him wants to step up and say, ‘Listen, I want to fight again,’ they’re going to get an immediate title shot so I’m never going to count that out.
“I’m in a spot in my career where there’s not all that much footage out there on me. Maybe he sees something on me in the next few fights and he thinks, ‘You know what? I can beat this guy. I’m going to come back and beat him.’ So mentally, I’m never counting that out. I think the fight could always pop back up and come back around on me, so that’s something that I would obviously accept.”
Jones secured the undisputed heavyweight championship in 2023 by defeating Ciryl Gane for the title vacated by Francis Ngannou`s departure. He was scheduled to defend it against Stipe Miocic, but that fight was postponed for a year due to a Jones injury. Although Jones found success in the heavyweight division, his long and dominant reign at light heavyweight is considered the defining part of his career legacy.
At the age of 23, Jones became the youngest champion in UFC history by defeating Mauricio Rua at UFC 128. He went on to win his subsequent 13 light heavyweight title fights. His only instances of losing the belt were due to legal issues he faced outside the octagon (a victory over Daniel Cormier at UFC 214 was also overturned after Jones tested positive for performance-enhancing substances). Over his 30 professional fights, Jones has never been genuinely defeated by an opponent; his sole loss is a disqualification for using illegal downward elbows in a bout against Matt Hamill, a fight Jones was otherwise dominating.
When asked if he had any message for Jones, Aspinall responded respectfully.
“I think he’s had an amazing career and I think he should enjoy the rest of his life,” Aspinall said. “If he truly feels like he’s done enough, which he keeps saying that he does, he will be at peace. He doesn’t need me or anybody else to tell him how good he’s done. He’ll know it himself, so I hope that he’s enjoying his life, he’s enjoying his family, and he’s celebrating his career because it’s been amazing.”
With the chapter on Jones seemingly closed for now, Aspinall is looking ahead to his first title defense as the undisputed heavyweight champion. While there isn`t a single clear contender that fans are strongly calling for, Aspinall has several potential opponents in mind.
“I’ve actually fought a lot of the top 10,” Aspinall mentioned. “One of the guys I’ve not fought is Ciryl Gane. I was actually chasing that fight a few times before. He was ducking and diving around himself a little bit, so he is due a little bit of a beating off me. I look forward to that.”
“A couple more guys down the rankings, Jailton Almeida I’ve not fought, there’s a guy I’ve already beat called Alexander Volkov who’s doing really well for himself as well, so who knows? You never know in the heavyweight division. There’s a couple of up-and-coming guys who I’ve not mentioned as well, so there’s some good fights to be made over the next couple of years for sure.”
Aspinall spent a significant part of the last two years trying to secure a unification fight against Jones. However, this opportunity didn`t arise as Jones was sidelined by injury and focused on fighting Miocic for his initial title defense. This situation led Aspinall to defend his interim belt against Curtis Blaydes. Even after both fighters were ready, Jones still did not agree to schedule a fight with the British star.
Because of this, Aspinall is eager to make up for lost time. His goal is to compete in two championship fights in 2025.
“I’m going to be fighting hopefully twice this year,” Aspinall stated. “That’s my plan, at least. I think I’ve wasted enough time now. We’re looking to get a fight booked quick and it’s looking like it’s going to be pretty soon anyway. Then hopefully if everything goes well in the first one, I’m uninjured, which is it’s easier said than done getting through a fight with a guy my size and coming out with no injuries, but if I can do that, I would like to fight at the end of the year as well. That would be perfect.”
