Former UFC heavyweight Daniel Cormier has claimed neither Jon Jones or Stipe Miocic will fight Tom Aspinall.
This comes after Aspinall was confirmed as the back-up fighter for the clash between the pair at UFC 309 on November 17.
Cormier fought both Miocic and Jones over his 11 year UFC career
Dana White confirmed that Jones would defend his UFC heavyweight title at Madison Square Garden in New York against Miocic, 42, amid criticism from numerous fans who believed it was Aspinall that should be next in line for the championship bout.
Manchester’s Aspinall brutally knocked out Sergei Pavlovich in the first round to become the interim heavyweight champion at UFC 295 in November last year.
An interim belt was created by the UFC as Jones, the undisputed champion, became inactive. So, the typical route for someone like Aspinall would be to fight Jones for the title next.
However, the unification of the UFC’s heavyweight division is yet to occur and MMA fans are worried Jones, 37, may retire after his scheduled fight with Miocic, before we get to see the dream matchup with Aspinall.
Speaking on his YouTube channel with former UFC fighter Ben Askren, Cormier discussed the scenario in which one of Jones or Miocic gets injured before their bout.
He said: “I would guess that if someone gets hurt, Tom Aspinall stays on the card and he fights neither one of those guys.
“Aspinall’s officially the back-up fighter, but which one of those dudes are going to actually say, ‘OK, I’ll fight Tom Aspinall’, which one of them will actually stay in the fight?”
Askren disagreed with Cormier saying that either fighter would have to fight Aspinall should their opponent pull out.
Cormer responded by saying: “Come on, dude. Pavlovich was the back-up fighter in New York City when Jones and Stipe were scheduled to fight the first time. Jones got hurt, Stipe pulled out – Aspinall fought against Pavlovic.
“There’s no guarantee that because he’s the back-up fighter, somebody is going to fight him.
Aspinall is the natural heavyweight champion successor for JonesGETTY
“Neither one of those guys are fighting Tom Aspinall if they don’t have to. It’ll be Tom Aspinall versus Ciryl Gane or somebody for the interim championship because those guys are fighting each other and nobody else!”
Jones submitted France’s Gane within three minutes of the first round in his own backyard at UFC 285 in Paris after a three hiatus.
Many fans agreed with Cormier’s comments with one user stating: “Daniel Cormier’s right, if Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic can avoid it, they probably will! Looks like Tom Aspinall might need to keep his dance card open for Ciryl Gane instead.”
A second person added: “Agree with DC, neither Jones nor Stipe will fight Aspinall. We all know it,” and another said Jones would not fight Aspinall if Miocic gets hurt as he ‘wants a pay day and to stay “‘undefeated’”.
To date, Jones versus Miocic is still going ahead as planned. This may come much to the dismay of Aspinall who, although, admits he is excited for the fight, must be curious to find out what would happen should one of them pull out.
Charles Oliveira takes on Michael Chandler as the co-main event in New York for UFC 309 and Bo Nickal faces Scotland‘s Paul Craig on the undercard.
