“Let’s do it,” Tom Aspinall ditches waiting game planning to box post Jon Jones vs Stipe Miocic delay

Interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall is interested in boxing match if UFC doesn’t let him be active with a square-off with Jon Jones.

“Let’s do it,” Tom Aspinall ditches waiting game planning to box post Jon Jones vs Stipe Miocic delay

Tom Aspinall wants to venture into boxing, in absence of Jon Jones (Source: Twitter/IMAGO)

Tom Aspinall won the interim UFC heavyweight title at UFC 295. He executed a flawless 69-second KO victory over Sergei Pavlovich. In the aftermath, Aspinall expressed interest in facing heavyweight Jon Jones. Jones was originally to face Stipe Miocic at UFC 295. But he had to withdraw due to a pectoral tear incurred in training.

CEO Dana White recently divulged the promotion was still holding out for booking Jones vs. Miocic after the recovery of the undisputed heavyweight champion. Tom Aspinall could, in all probability, defend his interim title. But this effectively means the fighter remains benched from a chance at the undisputed titular shot. If he has to stay on the sidelines, Aspinall has other plans, including boxing. This is what he said:

Let’s do it. I want to be active in MMA, I’m healthy. Absolutely I’ll do that, if I can get that past the UFC, I’ll do that. That’s why I think it’s a good idea, I like it, I like it a lot. I’ll do that. I’ll do that, if they want me to do that, I’ll do it. But I want to be active. I’m in a really good spot right now, let’s keep it moving...I don’t want to be waiting around for Jon Jones. Who knows if he’s going to come back or not?… I’ll fight another contender, or we’ll do one of them. That’s a great idea.
Tom Aspinall via Fight Disciples
YouTube video

It is highly unlikely that Aspinall will receive the go-ahead from the promotion for a boxing bout. Nonetheless, he has boxed many times in an unofficial capacity. Furthermore, he also happened to be called upon by lineal boxing heavyweight Tyson Fury for a sparring session. Fury faced Francis Ngannou in the opening ceremony of the Riyadh Season.

Standing at 14-3-0, the heavyweight striker has a mixed bag of wins these past few fights. He has two subsequent two-win streaks. His last defeat came at the hands of Curtis Blaydes in 2022, by way of an injury. The injury put Aspinall on the sidelines for almost a year. The injury is also the reason why Aspinall wants to stay active as he felt he missed a lot of time.

Henry Cejudo reiterates disliking Tom Aspinall’s’ emotional take on his interim win

Henry Cejudo adamantly stands by his criticism of Tom Aspinall’s win and subsequent reactional outburst. Aspinall, who recently won the interim heavyweight title, had flipped over to the mat with tears of joy. Cejudo, the former flyweight and bantamweight champion, was critical of such a showcasing.

Henry Cejudo disses at Tom Aspinall's celebratory victory at UFC 295
Henry Cejudo disses at Tom Aspinall’s celebratory victory at UFC 295 (Source: IMAGO/Twitter)

Daniel Cormier had come to Aspinall’s defense afterward. He said that Aspinall, like Cejudo himself, had toiled hard towards his goal. This warranted that the fighter gets to enjoy his spoils. Cejudo, who was molded in the form of an Olympic wrestling phenom, thus took offense. Disrupting the union and comparison of such two vastly different accolades, Cejudo replied on X. Check out what Cejudo had to say below:

Many fans and peers have resonated with the argument itself. Aspinall had also vibed well on the possibility of sitting on the sidelines with just an interim status. The fighter even demanded a strip-off for heavyweight Jon Jones’ belt in the meantime, as is the mandate for fighters during injury.

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