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UFC Champ Tom Aspinall Confirmed As Backup Fighter For Jones-Miocic

Tom Aspinall’s path to an undisputed title shot is mapped out.

Zain Bando

Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports / Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

Despite Tom Aspinall needing less than a minute to exact revenge on Curtis Blaydes and successfully defend his interim heavyweight title with a first-round KO, his shot at undisputed gold will have to wait.

UFC 304 News: Tom Aspinall Tells Jon Jones "I'm Better Than You" after 1-Minute KO

At the UFC 304 post-fight press conference, UFC CEO Dana White reassured assembled reporters and the MMA community that Aspinall, the UFC’s first heavyweight champion from the U.K., would get his opportunity pending the outcome of Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic, which is targeted for November at MSG.

If Jones or Miocic were to suffer a setback once again, as was the case in 2023 when Jones suffered a torn pectoral muscle leading up to the fight, White said Aspinall would be in consideration as a replacement.

UFC 304 Free Live Stream MMA Results: Edwards vs. Muhammad, Aspinall vs. Blaydes

“We’d be insane not to make him [Tom Aspinall] the backup for that fight,” White said.

White went on to emphasize the importance of re-evaluating the division after the Jones-Miocic fight concludes. The possibility of retirement could be on the table for both men, as Miocic has not fought since a KO loss to now-PFL heavyweight Francis Ngannou in 2021.

Aspinall said he would offer a different proposal to White that would directly involve himself and not him as a backup. Although the UFC has not instituted a tournament in about a decade, Aspinall is open to challenging light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira and Jones-Miocic moving forward as planned. In his scenario, they would both take place in November, with the winners fighting each other.

Whether or not the UFC would consider Aspinall’s plan remains to be seen, but what is true is that the ever-changing nature of the heavyweight division makes Jones’ return inevitable.

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Zain Bando
ZAIN BANDO

Zain Bando is a writer for MMA Knockout, part of the Sports Illustrated/Minute Media umbrella. He has covered combat sports since 2019 for notable outlets BJPenn.com and FanSided MMA. He also co-hosts a podcast called "The MMA Outsiders," part of the Empty The Bench Podcast Network, which airs Tuesday nights at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT. A Chicago suburban native, Bando has been enthralled with MMA since 2006 and has been fortunate to attend some of the most high-profile events in the sport's history, both as a fan and media member, including UFC 264, Bellator 297 and Kayla Harrison's PFL MMA debut. He is excited to take the next step in his combat sports writing journey and looks forward to continuing his following of the fight game for years to come. Bando can be reached via email at zainbando99@gmail.com or by social media @zainbando99

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