Tom Aspinall Vehemently Denies Going Down Michael Chandler Path in Wait for Jon Jones

UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall believes he won't end up like Michael Chandler while Jon Jones delays the unification bout.

Tom Aspinall Vehemently Denies Going Down Michael Chandler Path in Wait for Jon Jones

Tom Aspinall denies going down the Michael Chandler route (via ImagoX)

Tom Aspinall has patiently waited over a year for a title unification bout, but Jon Jones remains uncooperative and silent throughout. Despite Aspinall holding the interim belt with pride and defending it, Jones has refused to sign the contract and confirm the matchup. Fans are now increasingly worried about Aspinall suffering Michael Chandler’s fate, endlessly waiting without resolution or any confirmation.

After much effort, Chandler landed the Conor McGregor fight, scheduled for UFC 303 but it was later cancelled. Since then, no rescheduling occurred and Chandler wasted nearly two years waiting for the ‘red p*nty night’ that never came. In the recent Good Guy/ Bad Guy Show, Aspinall denied he’d face the same fate, refusing to wait and fighting others.

I’ve seen a lot of people comparing me to Michael Chandler. [He] waited a long time for Conor McGregor… I’m not waiting for one fight. I’m not trying to fight one guy. I’m trying to fight ALL the guys. I’m trying to be THE guy at heavyweight who takes out everybody. It doesn’t matter who it is, Ciryl Gane, Volkov rematch, Almeida, Derrick Lewis, Brock Lesnar. Whoever it is, I don’t care.

Like Aspinall, Chandler was extremely hopeful about McGregor’s comeback, but eventually voiced his frustration after months of painful silence. He later moved on, fighting Charles Oliveira and Paddy Pimblett, suffering helpless defeats in both high-profile but ultimately disappointing matchups. Aspinall, unlike Chandler, is in his prime and focused on the belt, not distracted by big-money fights.

One proposed solution was forcing Jones to vacate the belt, with a viral petition gaining over 100,000 passionate supporters’ signatures. Frustrated fans blame Jones for stalling the division, delaying action in what was once MMA’s most exciting and competitive weight class. Top contenders like Alexander Volkov and Curtis Blaydes also criticized Jones continuing as undisputed champion without defending the title consistently.

UFC veteran shares unique detail about Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall mega fight

In most of his recent interviews, Tom Aspinall was repeatedly asked about updates on the long-awaited fight with Jon Jones. The UK native confirmed his readiness, insisting all delays stemmed from Jones’ side, possibly due to complicated contract negotiations. Eventually, Aspinall reached a point of frustration so intense that he simply stopped mentioning Jones or the unification bout altogether.

Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall happening soon?
Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall happening soon? (via Imago)

On the other hand, ‘Bones’ was recently seen enjoying himself in Thailand, exploring local culture and happily interacting with excited fans. He answered several fan questions on X, casually dropping subtle hints about his future plans and potential fighting timeline. However, UFC remains silent officially, and according to Hall of Famer Michael Bisping, there might be a significant reason behind this.

This is one of the most highly anticipated fights in all of UFC history. You can’t just announce it, ‘Oh, the fight is going to happen’. No. A fight of this magnitude, the UFC wanna do a proper job. They wanna announce it in spectacular fashion, they wanna have a press conference, they want the world’s media there.This is the kind of fight that deserves that kind of attention.

At the beginning of 2025, UFC CEO Dana White promised that the promotion is working towards Jones vs. Aspinall. This promise has kept Aspinall going and constantly training and preparing himself to potentially fight the arguable GOAT of MMA. On the other hand, fighting Aspinall is a big risk for Jones, something he might take in order to defend his legacy.