It’s been quite the wait for interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall as his highly anticipated fight against Jon Jones just doesn’t seem to materialize. The fanfare surrounding this impending heavyweight fight started way back in the aftermath of UFC 295, but the English star has only been able to fight once since then, and it wasn’t even the undisputed champion. So, people are pointing their fingers at Jones and even Dana White for holding up Aspinall’s career.
Meanwhile, it seems like having to wait for his next fight at the position that Tom Aspinall is in doesn’t seem so bad to the interim champion. There’s absolutely no doubt that the Manchester native is quite unusual for a heavyweight fighter because he’s not only got the size but also has the kind of speed that’s hardly seen in the division. But Aspinall claims there’s another thing that’s in his favor.
Of course, the interim UFC champion wants to fight as soon as he can. But he claims that he’s “lucky” to be waiting for a fight at the age of 32 rather than being in his late 30s. He believes that he’s a bit younger than most heavyweights on the roster. After all, Jon Jones also claimed that he didn’t want to fight dangerous up-and-comers, which included Tom Aspinall. So, that’s a real advantage for the Englishman right there.
“I’m quite lucky in that regard because I don’t feel like I have a lot of miles on the clock, and 32 is quite young for heavyweight, but I would definitely fight if I could,” the interim champion told Demetrious Johnson on the latter’s YouTube channel.
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Tom Aspinall and many other MMA personalities believe that he’s yet to hit his prime, so there’s a lot more years left in the English star. But his waiting time may come to an end because Jon Jones recently gave a positive indication about the impending heavyweight clash. “What I feel like returning to the UFC after some much-needed downtime,” he wrote in one of his recent Instagram stories. So, for now, the fight looks like it could happen.
Nevertheless, there’s another reason why waiting for the fight has worked out in Tom Aspinall’s favor. According to him, there were certain issues he faced in the past few months. Let’s take a look at that front.
Tom Aspinall claimed waiting for Jon Jones was a ‘blessing in disguise’
Since his last fight, where he defended his interim belt against Curtis Blaydes, Tom Aspinall has suffered some medical issues. No, it was not an injury, but rather an illness. He claims that 2025 didn’t start off well for him as Aspinall battled his medical issues, and it all started during last Christmas. Hence, the Manchester native claims that being on the sidelines because the Jon Jones fight hasn’t materialized yet has given him some much-needed recovery time.
“This year, I’ve actually been ill more times than I ever have in my life, and we are in April. I got a virus before Christmas, and basically, I’ve had it on and off since,” Tom Aspinall stated in a video he posted on social media. “I’ve probably not rested enough. You can probably hear in my voice. I’m still a bit nasally, but I’m right at the very end of it now, finally. I’ve had a couple of courses of antibiotics.”
Coming back to his potential fight against Jon Jones, there are signals that the fight could happen and Tom Aspinall could get his wish, especially because Dana White seems persistent in this pursuit. Moreover, the plans for undisputed champ’s Russian TUF appearance also may not happen with Nate Diaz reportedly out of the show. How do you think things will shape up in the coming months? Drop your comments below.
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