UFC Champ Tom Aspinall Calls Out Heavyweight GOAT: "It Would Be Epic"
Tom Aspinall should be poised for a heavyweight title unification bout after he won the interim belt at UFC 295, but the 30-year-old is eager to test himself against two-time UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic first.
UFC 295 was supposed to see Jon Jones defend his heavyweight belt for the first time against two-time champion Miocic before “Bones” suffered an injury and had to withdraw from their main event bout.
An interim title fight between Aspinall and Sergei Pavlovich was quickly booked to serve as the co-main event at Madison Square Garden, and Aspinall made the most of the short-notice opportunity by knocking out Pavlovich in just over a minute.
UFC CEO Dana White has already indicated the promotion still plans to rebook the Jones vs. Miocic fight, but Aspinall feels he should take on the former heavyweight king while Jones is sidelined with his injury.
Aspinall won the interim heavyweight belt at UFC 295.
(Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
“It would be epic,” Aspinall told The MacLife. “Stipe is one of my favorite fighters ever. I believe he’s the best heavyweight ever, and I wanna see what that feels like, stepping in the Octagon with the best heavyweight ever. And I wanna experience that before I retire – which is gonna be ages away – but more importantly before he retires, which is in the not-too-distant future.”
Miocic hasn’t stepped into the Octagon since he was knocked out in a rematch with Francis Ngannou at UFC 260, and before his fight with Jones at UFC 295 was scrapped many fans had openly questioned if the 41-year-old might be planning to retire after the event.
The narrative of two all-time greats squaring off will certainly keep interest in Miocic vs. Jones alive, but Aspinall argues that he’s the perfect opponent for the former two-time heavyweight champion.
It's been well over two years since Miocic last competed.
(Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
“It makes complete sense, I don’t know why anyone would dispute that. He’s free, I’m free, Jones is injured…For Stipe, it’s an absolute win-win. If he gets knocked out he’s getting knocked out against a young guy that’s already a champion. If he wins, imagine the hype between him and Jon then. Win-win.”
A specific timeline for Jones’ return from his pec injury is still unclear at this time, and if the UFC decides to wait and rebook the fight with Miocic it could leave Aspinall on the sidelines for an extended period while he waits for a chance to try and unify the promotion's heavyweight belts.
A victory over the interim heavyweight champion would certainly help Miocic generate even more hype for the Jones matchup, but if Aspinall were to win that fight it could put "Bones" in an interesting position considering the rumors that he also planned to retire after UFC 295.
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