Mick Parkin admits he would be forced fight his good friend Tom Aspinall, but only if ‘crazy money’ was on the table.
Undefeated UFC heavyweight Parkin would never have thought that his good friend Aspinall could be the one man stopping him from eventually winning a title in Dana White’s promotion.
Aspinall has been sparring with Parkin for years now, even before the former joined the UFC and became the No.1 contender to Jon Jones’ title.
Jones is the UFC heavyweight champion and is being lined up to fight Aspinall this year in what would be one of the biggest MMA fights of all time.
With Sunderland-born Parkin having recently entered the top 15 heavyweight rankings, a victory in his next fight at UFC London could put him in good stead for more big fights to come.
He takes on No.8 ranked Marcin Tybura on March 22, meaning a win could place him in and around the top five UFC heavyweights and only a few fights away from a shot at gold.
Speaking to talkSPORT.com, Parkin revealed why he hopes Aspinall can beat Jones so that the pair never meet in the Octagon, but the 29-year-old added that a hefty paycheck could change his mind.
“At first, there were jokes about it,” the UFC heavyweight and brand ambassador for leading sports nutrition brand, Warrior, Parkin said.
“I still believe I’m four or five fights away from that. But yeah, it looks a bit like Cain Velasquez and ‘DC’ [Daniel Cormier].
“It is getting close. But like I said, that’s why we’re hoping he gets the Jon Jones fight so he retires with loads of money and then I can get the belt.
“At this point in time, I probably wouldn’t [fight Aspinall]. He’s my friend. Unless it was for crazy, crazy money.
“Maybe then it would change my mind. But he is my friend. So probably not at this moment in time. I have enough fights with him in the gym, I think.”
UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier famously made the switch from heavyweight to light heavyweight after debuting with the UFC in 2013 to avoid a fight with his teammate Cain Velasquez.
“Life-changing [money],” Parkin added. “I think it has to be to fight your friend.”
Parkin’s next opponent, Tybura, was knocked out by Aspinall at the O2 Arena in July 2023.
Aspinall has since gone on to become the UFC’s interim heavyweight champion by knocking out Sergei Pavlovich and Curtis Blaydes.
Parkin will make the same walk Aspinall once made and take on the same opponent in the same arena at UFC London.
The 29-year-old detailed conversations he has had with Aspinall about his Polish opponent.
“It is nice to be around Tom and stuff like that,” Parkin said, speaking on advice he has sought from his fellow British UFC heavyweight for the fight.
“I spoke to Tom and said, ‘They’re thinking about giving me the Tybura fight’, and he was like, ‘Oh that’s an amazing fight for you mate. It’s really, really good.’
“He was all on board with it. Every fight I have, he gives a little bit of help.
“He might say, ‘I saw he does this and you’ll be alright, you’ll do this and stuff like that’.
“It is nice to have a training partner like Tom.”
UFC President Dana White announced this month he is waiting to decide the ‘when and where’ to officially announce Jones vs Aspinall.
The bout will finally unify the heavyweight division and could lead to Salford’s Aspinall having to defend the belt against his teammate Parkin in the future.
“If Jones isn’t going to fight him, maybe he should relinquish the belt,” Parkin concluded.
“I don’t know how it works. He definitely gets special treatment when you’re Jon Jones, which I think is fair enough.
“He is Jon Jones. I would say the fight as a fan would be good to see as well…
“I do think Tom is that confident. I think he would go at him as well. I think it would be a good fight. But yeah, my money is on Tom.”
UFC London witnesses the return of Leon Edwards as he takes on Sean Brady in the main event to decide who will challenge for the welterweight title next.
Jan Blachowicz faces Carlos Ulberg in the co-main event, while Brits Molly McCann, Jordan Vucenic, Nathaniel Wood and Jai Herbert also feature on the card.
