UFC 295 Aftermath: Pros React to Tom Aspinall Becoming Third British UFC Champion

With Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic set to clash in 2024, should Tom Aspinall defend his newly-crowned interim title?

Zain Bando | Nov 12, 2023

UFC 295 Aftermath: Pros React to Tom Aspinall Becoming Third British UFC Champion /

In the co-main event of UFC 295, Tom Aspinall sent Madison Square Garden into a frenzy. With one shot to the temple of Sergei Pavlovich, Aspinall, on less than a month's notice, realized his dream.

Aspinall joined Leon Edwards and Michael Bisping to represent England as a UFC champion. Although current heavyweight champion Jon Jones is set to defend his undisputed title once healed from a pec injury, opposite Stipe Miocic, the MMA community took notice of his performance, including Jones.

Jon Jones Praises Tom Aspinall

Although he wasn't present at MSG, Jones chimed in on X (formerly Twitter) to give his thoughts on the fight.

"Tom congratulations on the interim heavyweight championship belt! That was an awesome performance," Jones said.

Jones' last fight was in March, defeating Ciryl Gane to win the vacant heavyweight title after the UFC witnessed Francis Ngannou leave the promotion, causing a stir.

Michael Bisping Calls His Shot

Former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping, who now serves as a UFC lead analyst, took to Twitter to share a heartfelt video of him and Aspinall embracing. He also sent a message to those who may have doubted the heavyweight's abilities.

"I told ya," Bisping tweeted.

pic.twitter.com/wGmZT9lJt4
— michael (@bisping) November 12, 2023

Similar to Aspinall. Bisping famously won the middleweight title in June 2016, knocking out Luke Rockhold on just two weeks' notice, making it a full-circle moment for the pair.

UFC CEO Dana White Unsure of Next Move for Tom Aspinall

Speaking to media members at the UFC 295 post-fight presser, Dana White said that Aspinall's performance was impressive enough to warrant a blockbuster fight next, given his inkling to ensure Jones vs. Miocic happens.

"Let's see how Jon heals," White said. "Let's see how he looks when he comes back from his injury. Obviously, he's gonna fight Stipe. Let's see how that goes, and then [we'll see what's next]."

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Published Nov 12, 2023

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