The UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion, Tom Aspinall, was offered a fight with former heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic at UFC 300.
The Brit revealed today on ‘X’ that his manager was contacted by the UFC brass to ask if he wanted a fight against the man who many consider the greatest heavyweight of all time. Aspinall said he accepted the fight before being informed a little while later that Miocic wasn’t interested in the match-up; he only wants to fight Jon Jones.
A follow-up tweet from Aspinall indicated that he took the rejection well, and it looks like he is now seeking another opponent. The interim champion has been pushing for a fight with Jon Jones in recent weeks, and the pair engaged in a verbal back-and-forth on social media. Aspinall’s efforts were in vain as Jones knocked back his advances. The UFC seems committed to rescheduling the fight between Jones and Miocic whenever the former is fit to return from his pectoral injury.
It’s been a busy evening for Aspinall on social media as he also addressed reports that he had been stoking the fire with Jones again with comments about his willingness to fight. Aspinall says the reports conjured up old comments, that the issue with Jones has since been resolved, and that he is now looking to move on.
The interim champion is in a sticky spot. He wants to fight for the undisputed title, and it’s hard to deny that he deserves it; that’s what the interim belt should be for, after all. A fight against somebody ranked below Aspinall would question the validity of such a title, and he makes a good case for being the next in line for a fight with Jon Jones.
Regardless, he seems to be getting twitchy, and the UFC’s President, Dana White, has often stated that he loves it when fighters wish to remain active, so don’t be surprised if we have a fight announcement for Tom Aspinall sometime soon.
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