Tom Aspinall was crowned interim heavyweight king at UFC 295 with a vicious first-round knockout of Sergei Pavlovich. That was in November 2023. Since then, while he sits with the gold around his waist, Jon Jones is holding on to the real, undisputed crown. And the longer the title unification wait drags on, the interim belt is weighing heavily on the British champion’s shoulders.
As of April 30, 2025, Aspinall officially holds the longest interim title reign in UFC history at 536 days and counting. Renan Barao held his interim bantamweight strap for 535 days, but he got promoted after two defenses of the belt. Aspinall? He’s still stuck in limbo with one title defense already secured. And it’s not just the calendar that’s running thin as we get deeper into 2025; Tom Aspinall’s patience and mental strength are, too.
Tom Aspinall pulls back the curtain on what waiting for Jon Jones has done to his mental state
Back in 2022, Tom Aspinall injured his knee in a fight against Curtis Blaydes in front of his home crowd. The result? A year-long lay-off that halted his surge up the heavyweight ranks. But even then, he had something to chase. Speaking to Demetrious Johnson on a recent appearance on ‘The Mighty Cast’, Aspinall revealed, “Like I felt great about it, and I was on my recovery path to getting back. Now I’ve been almost a year inactive with no prospect of anything apart from wait, so now is actually little bit more of a tricky time for me mentally than it was then.”
And here’s the cruel twist: he’s healthy. In the best shape of his life. But there’s no opponent, no announcement, no war to prepare for. Just whispers and delays.
The undisputed fight with Jon Jones? Still a dream on ice as he further stated, “Whereas now it’s just like, right, just be ready and we’ll just let you know, now it’s kind of difficult like mentally to… this is the fight against Jon Jones, like, the fight is another thing, this is the tricky bit I really have to stay switched on, stay motived and I’m trying my best.”
But how long can a fighter keep his sword sharp without a battle in sight? Last year, he even avenged his lone UFC loss by finishing Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304. All of that, yet still no chance to unify the title.
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Jon Jones, meanwhile, defended his belt against a 42-year-old Stipe Miocic coming after a 4-year layoff at UFC 309 after recovering from injury. That win may have solidified his heavyweight legacy, but it also gave him room to stall. The result? Fans now whisper whether ‘Bones’ is eyeing the record for longest undisputed reign with his avoidance, instead of settling business with the interim champ. But the heavyweight king? He’s nowhere near the cage!
‘Bones’ fires off multiple shots at Aspinall as the MMA world is still left waiting for his return
While Tom Aspinall struggles with the wait for a fight announcement, Jon Jones has traded the gym for exotic backdrops. Recently, the undisputed heavyweight champion was busy filming a reality show in Thailand with Nate Diaz. During an Instagram live session, ‘Bones’ had this to say about the calls for him to face Aspinall, “I don’t know if it’s considered ducking when you’re living good. I don’t think it works like that.”
And Jones isn’t exactly silent about his stance. In another cheeky Instagram story, Jones shared a video of a calm dog wrestling with a yappy one. The caption read, “What I feel like returning to the UFC after some much-needed downtime.” A thinly veiled jab? No doubt. Especially when Jones has questioned Aspinall’s credentials before.
Yet the numbers tell a different story. Aspinall is 8-1 in the UFC and has the shortest average fight time at just 2 minutes and 2 seconds. He avenged his lone loss with style and already defended his interim title once. That puts him neck-and-neck with Jones in terms of heavyweight title defenses, one apiece.
So here we are with one champ ready, one champ roaming, and a division frozen while the fans and fighters wait for what happens next. The fight everyone wants? Still just smoke in the wind. Do you think Jon Jones will retire without facing Tom Aspinall? Why or why not? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
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