It’s been five weeks since Salford fighter Tom Aspinall claimed interim gold at Maddison Square Garden. UK fight fans are looking forward to see what 2024 brings in store for the interim heavyweight champion. Below I break down the five most likely opponents Aspinall could face in his quest for heavyweight gold.
Below, we look at some exciting options for Tom Aspinall.
The Champion Jon Jones
Arguably seen as the greatest mixed martial artist of all time, current heavyweight champion Jon Jones is the most obvious opponent Aspinall could face. It would be the ultimate test for Tom Aspinall in his quest to become the new champion, and all interim champions eventually face the champion.
However, Jones is looking at an extended period of time out of action following a leg injury during the build-up to his fight against Stipe Miocic. The UFC is hoping the champion is cleared to fight in the second half of 2024; Tom would have to wait for a minimum of six months before a fight can be materialised.
Stipe Miocic- The Heavyweight GOAT
Another exciting matchup for Tom Aspinall would be the former heavyweight champion in Stipe Miocic. The American is regarded as the greatest heavyweight champion of all time by defending his belt five times and beating legends of the sport such as Daniel Cormier twice.
Whilst Stipe is the most obvious replacement to fight Tom Aspinall as Jones is currently injured, he is in fact 41 years old and is in the backend of his career.
A fight with Tom is set to dent Stipe’s chance of getting a final world title opportunity. As well as this Stipe only wants to fight John Jones according to Dana White.
Cyril Gane- Agile and Dangerous
Fresh off a victory against Sergei Spivac, Cyril Gane is another challenger for Tom in the heavyweight division and is seen as one of the most agile fighters in the division alongside Tom. In terms of style this would be an interesting bout as both are seen as the future of the heavyweight division and are similar with their striking ability but Tom’s wrestling skills gives him the edge over his French counterpart.
Gane has always believed that he can become France’s first ever UFC Champion and surely a fight or even a win over Aspinall would put him in contention for his third world title attempt.
Curtis Blaydes- Unfinished business
Tom Aspinall and Curtis Blaydes have unfinished business with the pair clashing in 2022 when an unfortunate injury to Tom’s leg ended the bout early in the first round, but before that the pair traded several blows and the fight looked set to end early.
Blaydes has always said the pair will run it back at some point in the future and surely 2024 could be when both men lock horns and prepare to do battle again. The American is fifth in the UFC rankings and would be a good test for Tom with his advanced wrestling pedigree.
Tai Tuivasa- Fun and Explosive
When Aspinall beat Alexander Volkov at the O2 last year he called out the Aussie to a fight in Australia. At the time the pair were ranked second and third in the UFC rankings so the fight made sense. Since then the pair’s careers have gone opposite ways with Tom beating all of his ranked opponents Whilst Tai has lost to Sergei Pavlovich, Cyril Gane and Alexander Volkov in his past three fights.
Tai does have an upcoming fight with Marcin Tybura and if he does win, don’t be surprised if he calls out the interim heavyweight champion.
It would be an interesting matchup with Tai’s one punch knockout power and Tom all round wrestling and striking game would make this an epic fight in the future.
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
