Tom Aspinall’s Father and Coach Has Confirmed the UFC Is Trying to Make a Heavyweight Unification Bout Between Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall
Following an impressive third-round TKO victory against Stipe Miocic at UFC 309, #2 ranked pound-for-pound fighter and Heavyweight champion Jon Jones has been hounded to fight interim champion Tom Aspinall. Tom attended the event to weigh in as the backup fighter for UFC 309 but was not needed.
Due to Aspinall’s unrelenting finishing streak, fans and media alike believe Aspinall may be skilled enough to defeat Jon Jones. Tom is an adept finisher, holding the record for the shortest average fight time at just 2 minutes and 2 seconds.
Despite all the hype and Aspinall’s interim title, Jones has been adamant that he will not fight Aspinall. Despite his resume, fans have accused Jones of ducking Aspinall due to his dominance.
This week Jones confirmed in an interview with The Schmo, that he is in negotiation with the UFC for his next fight and that he will “likely” fight in 2025.
“There is [a payment being discussed], but I’m not going to discuss that publicly. We’ll just have to wait and see. I will be competing in 2025, more than likely.”
With Jones alluding to a 2025 return, Andy Aspinall has shared his views on the potential unification bout.
Andy Aspinall Provides an Update
Father and coach Andy Aspinall has coached Tom from a boy to his interim Heavyweight belt. Whilst remaining respectful of the current Heavyweight champion Andy believes Jones does not want to risk his undefeated record against his son.
Andy told Yahoo Sports that they have been told the UFC is doing “everything in their power” to make Jon Jones v Tom Aspinall. When asked to share his thoughts on Jones’s stance on the bout, Andy said:
“I think Jon doesn’t know if he wants the fight or not,” he said. “I think he wants the fight to beat Tom. But he also doesn’t want to take that risk because he could lose. He’s not afraid to fight anyone, I’m sure, but I don’t think he wants to lose his unbeaten record. I’m sure that right now he doesn’t know if he’s going to do it and it will depend on the amount of money that they’re offering.”
With all the negotiations ongoing Andy confirms Tom is simply after the belt:
“We aren’t bothered who Tom fights, he just wants to hold the belt. It wouldn’t bother him. Jones is good, and as he negotiates for more money. I’m sure the UFC will be fair and give Tom more money. Jon has a contract and Tom has a contract, and it takes two to tango as we know. If we keep hearing that Jon is negotiating, that might mean more money for Tom. With that said, Tom doesn’t care who he fights, he just wants to be champion.”
This comes after Jones stated he would only face Tom Aspinall if the UFC offered him “F*** you money.”
Despite there being nothing concrete it seems we’re edging closer to the Heavyweight unification of Jon Jones v Tom Aspinall.
