Tom Aspinall, the interim UFC heavyweight champion, expressed confidence and respect for his opponent, Curtis Blaydes, before their match at UFC 304. Despite the nerves, Aspinall quickly defeated Blaydes in just 60 seconds, retaining his championship.Tom Aspinall, the interim UFC heavyweight champion, expressed confidence and respect for his opponent, Curtis Blaydes, before their match at UFC 304. Despite the nerves, Aspinall quickly defeated Blaydes in just 60 seconds, retaining his championship. Aspinall, who injured his MCL in a previous encounter with Blaydes, acknowledged Blaydes’ skills as a wrestler and mixed martial artist. He aimed to finish the fight efficiently to avoid any potential harm to either fighter. Following his victory, Aspinall received a callout from UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones. However, plans for Jones to face Stipe Miocic remain in place, with Aspinall being considered as a backup. Aspinall expressed his desire to fight the winner of Jones vs. Miocic, urging Jones to vacate the title if he is not interested in the matchup. Jones defeated Ciryl Gane to win the heavyweight title at UFC 285, while Miocic has not fought since losing the title to Francis Ngannou in 2021. Rumors suggest that Jones vs. Miocic will headline a Madison Square Garden PPV card in November. However, the event’s details remain uncertain.
Tom Aspinall felt like he was in for the fight of his life when he entered the Octagon for his UFC 304 interim heavyweight championship co-main event against Curtis Blaydes.
The Brit is two years removed from his devastating MCL tear when he first faced “Razor” in England, and it was his first fight since winning the interim belt at Madison Square Garden in New York last November.
And despite it being the longest day of his life, with nerves running through his body, Aspinall finished the job in just 60 seconds, beating Blaydes to retain the championship.
While Aspinall told ESPN MMA’s Megan Olivi that it felt like a homecoming of sorts after everything he’s been through, he did give Blaydes plenty of respect.
“Curtis is a great wrestler, but he’s got great hands. He’s a great mixed martial artist,” Aspinall said. “The guy’s been in the top five since before I was in the UFC. He’s a veteran. There’s a lot of emphasis on his wrestling because not a lot of guys in the heavyweight division can wrestle well, but he’s an mixed martial artist, so I expected everything.
“I have a lot of respect for Curtis and I want to get in and out as quickly as possible without anyone getting hurt. That’s my plan. I hope Curtis is OK.”
‘You can’t shut me out’ – Tom Aspinall awaits Jon Jones or Stipe Miocic to unify heavyweight championship
Following the win, Aspinall received a callout from UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones — a fight many were anticipating over Jones vs. Stipe Miocic. The interim champion commented on a conversation with UFC CEO Dana White, implying that plans could potentially change.
However, White stated at the UFC 304 post-fight press conference that the plan is still to have Jones vs. Miocic. However, he seemed to insinuate that Aspinall will be named as a backup fighter in case Jones vs. Miocic falls through again.
Aspinall told Olivi the plan is to fight the winner of Jones vs. Miocic, but he urged “Bones” to relinquish the title if he didn’t want the fight.
“I’ll wait… it’s worth waiting for,” Aspinall said. “If Jon Jones doesn’t want to do it, fine. Just give me the belt. I’ll take it, no problem. But that’s the fight I want. It’s the right fight to do. I understand it’s a huge fight for the UFC and the company — Stipe vs. Jon Jones. But come on, you can’t leave me out of it.”
Jones vs. Miocic was scheduled to headline UFC 295 last November, but Jones tore his pectoral muscle, leading to the fight in which Aspinall defeated Sergei Pavlovich to become interim champion.
Jones defeated Ciryl Gane to win the then-vacant heavyweight title at UFC 285 following the departure of Francis Ngannou from the promotion. Miocic, meanwhile, has not fought since losing the heavyweight title to Ngannou at UFC 260.
Rumors, reports, and even Jones himself have stated that the plan is for Jones vs. Miocic to headline a Madison Square Garden PPV card in November. However, those event plans have not been confirmed by the UFC and have remained unclear, with a concert series taking place at the venue on UFC 309’s original target date of November 9.
The post Tom Aspinall tells Jon Jones to vacate title if he doesn’t want to fight him after UFC 304 win first appeared on Frugals ca.
