Tom Aspinall teases UFC return fight ‘date and location'
Tom Aspinall has teased that he has a 'date and location' for his next UFC fight, as fans continue to hope for an announcement around a clash with Jon Jones.
Britain's Aspinall won the interim UFC heavyweight title in November 2023, knocking out Sergei Pavlovich in a fight that was booked after an injured Jones could not defend the regular belt against Stipe Miocic.
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With Jones, 38, out for a year, Aspinall took the rare decision to defend the interim title, which he retained with a July KO over Curtis Blaydes. Jones then finally returned in November, stopping Miocic to retain the regular strap.
Yet the American has refused to commit to fighting Aspinall, 32, who has been running out of patience. And when the Wigan fighter discussed the topic with two of Jones's former opponents, Daniel Cormier and Chael Sonnen, he provided an update on Monday (2 June).
'You guys are gonna see, you guys are gonna see really soon,' Aspinall said. 'This is exciting times for the heavyweight division, man. We get some movement.
'People are literally forgetting that heavyweights exist! Nobody's fought for so long, like, this is crazy. They've got a guy holding it up – that's old news, that's old news.
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'The active heavyweight champion is here to fight them all, let's get it on. Well, I'll tell you something: I've got a date and a location. I've got a date and a location.'
Tom Aspinall (left) knocked out Curtis Blaydes in July to retain the interim heavyweight belt (REUTERS)
Fans may interpret that update as Aspinall having agreed a return date with the UFC but without Jones being confirmed as the opponent.
With the UFC having announced main events for its pay-per-views in June, July and August, as well as a Mexican-centric event in September, Aspinall seems unlikely to fight before October.
'Jon's retired. What are you talking about, guys?' Aspinall added. 'You guys don't follow Jon on social media? Me [neither], actually, but the guy's living his best life, he's had a fantastic career, we all know. We know Jon's a religious man, so I want to say: God bless him moving forward with what he does in his life and career.
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'We move on, we move on. I'm the undispited heavyweight champion of the world, I'm ready to take on all comers, get this division moving again. Us guys have been waiting around too long.
'The contenders are getting sick of it, everybody's getting sick of it, even the fans are getting sick of this stuff. So, Jon's retired, and it's time that we move on.'
Jon Jones (right) stopped Stipe Miocic in November, beating the heavyweight great in round three (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
While some fans view Jones as the greatest mixed martial artist of all time, his career has been marred by numerous failed drug tests and run-ins with the law. Still, the American is effectively unbeaten, with his sole loss having come via DQ in 2009.
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Meanwhile, Aspinall is 15-3 in MMA and 8-1 in the UFC. In the promotion, his only defeat occurred due to injury, while all of his career finishes have come via stoppage.
In the UFC, Aspinall holds the record for the shortest fight time of an athlete with five or more bouts; all of his wins in the promotion have come in the first two rounds – seven in round one, two in the first minute.
Aspinall's decision to defend the interim belt was a rarity in the UFC, as the Wigan heavyweight aimed to stay active during Jones's absence. In that fight, Aspinall stopped Curtis Blaydes in 60 seconds, avenging his injury-induced loss to the American in 2022.
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