Interim UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall believes he is a thorn in Jon Jones’ side.
Aspinall, who won the interim belt by defeating Sergei Pavlovich in New York last November, has since competed in a rare defence of said interim title against perennial contender Curtis Blaydes in Manchester late last month — and it is a fight that he believes that Jones would have preferred a different outcome.
Jones — who remains out of action as he heals a pectoral injury sustained last year — is scheduled to defend his title against Stipe Miocic, possibly in Madison Square Garden in November. It is a bout that Aspinall has his own issues with, given his status in the division as well as the fact that Miocic has not claimed a win in the cage since August of 2020.
And as such, Aspinall says that he thinks Jones would have preferred a different outcome to his clash with Blaydes last month.
“Jon Jones, he was praying that I would lose that fight against Curtis Blaydes, praying that I would because there’s no way that you find publicly, nowhere, him saying that he would fight me,” Aspinall told Michael Bisping on his ‘Believe You Me‘ podcast, as noted by MMA Junkie.
“It doesn’t exist. I challenge everyone watching this interview to find a statement, a quote, a video where Jon Jones is saying that he’ll fight me after he fights Stipe. It doesn’t exist. The guy is smart.”
Aspinall also stated his belief that the logjam atop the heavyweight division is like taking the belt hostage — particularly with Aspinall close to his ‘prime’ as a fighter.
“They way I look at it, I’m the best heavyweight in the world,” he explained.
“I’m not getting my credit for it. They’re holding the belt hostage, mate, and Jon Jones is loving it. He’s loving the fact that Dana is getting on every interview possible … you’re talking about bantamweights, and Dana White flips it and starts talking about how good Jon Jones is. I’m like, ‘Mate, if he’s that good, let’s fight.’
“I’m the number one heavyweight right now. Let’s put it on the line and let’s see who the man is, me or Jon. It’s as simple as that.”
