Tom Aspinall has revealed the one condition that he would accept to move on from a fight with Jon Jones.
Aspinall, the UFC interim heavyweight champion, has been calling for a fight with his division’s undisputed champion, Jon Jones, for years but to no avail.
He has made easy work of his fellow contenders, racking up first-round finishes against four of the current top 10 heavyweights on his journey to the UFC’s summit.
The 31-year-old Salford–born man knocked out Curtis Blaydes last time out at UFC Manchester in July and wants just one thing next.
“The only thing I want to be really clear on is that I’m only fighting for the undisputed title,” Aspinall said, providing an update on his eagerly anticipated bout with Jones this past Sunday.
“That’s my only discrepancy. I will fight absolutely anyone.
“You can look through my record, speak to any promoter I’ve ever worked with. I have absolutely never turned down a fight and I’m not going to start now.
“What we need to be clear on though is that I have done enough in the UFC to fight for the undisputed title.
“I am the best heavyweight in the world and I just want a chance to prove it.”
Jones and Aspinall would make up one of the biggest UFC fights of all time should the pair meet to unify the heavyweight division.
MMA icon Jones has never publicly admitted his interest in a bout, even though UFC President Dana White said it would ‘100 per cent’ happen last December.
Aspinall claims that he has agreed to the fight and at this stage of negotiations he is simply waiting for Jones to say yes.
“I’ve been staying away from the media and talking about Jon Jones a lot because in all honesty, I’m sick of talking about it myself,” Aspinall added.
“But there needs to be updates. I see a lot of articles out there online saying a load of different things that are just not true. It’s just not true.
“Where we’re at right now is I have spoke to the UFC on multiple occasions about this fight. I’m chasing it. I want the fight.
“I’ve been on record and said that I want the fight. I’ve been on the phone with the UFC saying that I want the fight, when’s it happening?
“I want the fight more than anyone. What is holding it up right now is his side. That’s the truth of it.”
Jones retained his heavyweight title against the now-retired Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 last November.
Only a few weeks later, the 37-year-old embarked on a wild social media rant in response to MMA fans, saying Aspinall will ‘eventually lose within the next two or three fights’.
Aspinall knows Jones finds himself in a sticky position, but he is confident White and the UFC are doing everything in their power to make it happen.
“The UFC really want this fight to happen,” he concluded.
“As I’ve said this is one of the biggest fights that can be made in MMA right now.
“Everybody knows that. It’s just, does [Jones] want to put himself in a position where he’s comfortable enough financially to take the risk that he’s taking to fight me?
“And that is where we’re at. The UFC assure me they’re doing everything to make the fight.
“It’s totally, as far as I’m aware, down to Jon Jones and his team to work this out.”
Aspinall went on to welcome a fight with number two ranked UFC heavyweight Ciryl Gane, but only if it is for the undisputed title.
Jones defeated Gane to win the heavyweight strap back in March 2023, making easy work of the Frenchman by submitting him in two minutes.
The Briton also said the same about 33-year-old Jailton Almeida, who has won nine of his 10 UFC bouts since emerging through Dana White’s Contender Series in 2021.
For now, it’s impossible to tell how long negotiations could drag out before the UFC considers other options, but Aspinall is clearly ready to sign a contract tomorrow if the opportunity presents itself.
“Remember what I said quite a while ago now, I will retire Jon Jones without even fighting him?” Aspinall said. “That’s something that I said.
“Jon, let’s do it. If you want to do it, you don’t have to ask me twice. If not, I’ll fight somebody else for the undisputed belt. Happy to fight anybody, any time, anywhere, it doesn’t matter, I’m ready to go.”
Stuart Austin is one of three fighters who holds a victory over Aspinall.
Austin explained to talkSPORT.com last month how Jones can carve out a path to victory should he ever fight Aspinall.
“The big thing that hasn’t been tested in the UFC has been his wrestling,” Austin told talkSPORT.com.
“If you want to look back at me, I outwrestled him. Obviously he’s got a lot better since then. He’s been doing wrestling classes, he’s better at everything.
“…But I think clinch and wrestling would probably be the way to go for Jon, because if he strikes with Aspinall, I think there’s only one person going to win that fight.”
