After more than a year of waiting, UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion Tom Aspinall may just be moving on from a title unification bout with Jon Jones
Tom Aspinall appears to gearing up for his first fight of 2025, but not against Jones
Almost a full calendar year since making the first defense of his belt last July, Tom Aspinall may just be gearing up for a much-anticipated return to the Octagon. Winning the interim strap in November of 2023, the power-punching Englishman went on to retain eight months later in a stunning performance against Curtis Blaydes, the only man to defeat him in the promotion.
Since halting the advances of his challenger, Tom Aspinall has unfortunately been forced to remain on the sidelines, as current 265-lb king, Jones, has seemingly done everything in his power to avoid a clash with him.
With his frustrations of being made to wait looking to be hitting a boiling point, the European may just be keen on staying active while his divisional nemesis prods him from the shadows. Making an appearance on the Good Guy/ Bad Guy show, hosted by Daniel Cormier and Chael Sonnen, Tom Aspinall reaffirmed a previous statement of taking Jones out of the fight game without ever having to actually face him.
He further goes on to label himself as the rightful ruler of the heavyweight category, while also hinting at a possible new opponent along with a time and place for the fight.
“I said a long time ago, ‘I’m gonna retire Jon without even fighting him’. That’s what’s happened,” Tom Aspinall said.
“That’s old news. The active heavyweight champion is here to fight them all, let’s get it on. I’ll tell you something. I’ve got a date and a location.”
Jon Jones Announces Promising Update for Unification Matchup with Tom Aspinall
Coming off a flawless championship defense of his own over a returning Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 last November, Jones has perplexed fans and pundits throughout the mixed martial arts community about whether he is going to take on Aspinall, or if he is set on retirement. Making many cryptic posts on websites such as X, the long-time UFC great has kept the world repeatedly questioning if he is truly walking away from the sport.
The wait for the 265-lb superfight has gotten to fans so much that a petition was created with the goal of getting Jones stripped of his title, though the New York native remains indifferent to such an outcome.
However, following a trip to Thailand for a martial arts seminar (clip courtesy of Happy Punch), Jones shed some much needed light on the Aspinall contest. After more than a year of build up, it seems that both heavyweight competitors are just waiting on the UFC to make the formal announcement of their much-requested showdown.
“Tom and I have agreed to wait for the UFC to make their announcements. So legally I can’t really talk about it.”
– Jon Jones on the Tom Aspinall fight 👀‼️ pic.twitter.com/UZzlsoRf2Y
— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) June 1, 2025
“The UFC, I, and Tom, we’ve all got a lot of stuff happening behind the scenes,” Jones said. “They’re one of the biggest organizations in sports. Right now, Tom and I have agreed to wait for the UFC to make their announcements. So, legally I can’t really talk about it.”
