Tom Aspinall doesn’t know who he’s fighting next, but he knows it’ll be for an undisputed title.
Becoming the first fighter in more than a decade to defend an interim belt, Aspinall put his temporary heavyweight title on the line against Curtis Blaydes in the UFC 304 co-main event last month. It only took Aspinall 60 seconds to put away ‘Razor’ via TKO.
With undisputed heavyweight champion Jon Jones expected to return this November for a showdown with the division’s consensus GOAT, Stipe Miocic, Aspinall is confident that his next fight will be against the winner. In fact, Aspinall knows it will because he’ll accept nothing less — nor should he have to.
“I don’t know what’s happening [next],” Aspinall told MMA Fighting. “That’s kind of out of my hands. All I know is my next fight’s going to be for an undisputed title. That’s it. I won’t do anything else.
“My next fight, I’ll fight anybody as always, as I’ve done throughout my whole career — you can ask any of the UFC matchmakers that — but right now, I’m the best UFC heavyweight in the world and I’m fighting for an undisputed title next.”
Tom Aspinall Expects to be backup for Jones vs. miocic in November
Following Aspinall’s win in Manchester, UFC CEO Dana White all but confirmed that the Salford, England will serve as the official backup for Jones vs. Miocic which is tentatively scheduled to headline UFC 309 in Madison Square Garden.
While not every fighter likes the idea of taking a backup role, Aspinall is more than willing to show up at MSG ready to fight. Whatever gets him closer to getting his hands on Jones or Miocic and undisputed gold.
“Yep, I’ll be there. I’ll do that,” Aspinall said about being the backup fighter. “I’d fight them guys on an hour’s notice if they needed me to.
“Listen, I could beat both of these guys, no problem. If I’ve got to do it on a day’s notice, I can do it. Easily. So I’ll be there and savor the opportunity if it presents itself.”
Making his promotional debut four years ago, Aspinall has worked his way through much of the heavyweight top 10, scoring highlight-reel KOs against the likes of Serghei Spivac, Alexander Volkov, Marcin Tybura, Sergei Pavlovich, and the aforementioned Curtis Blaydes.
In Aspinall’s book, that makes him the best heavyweight in the world and it’s hard to argue otherwise.
“I am the best,” Aspinall said. “I beat all the contenders. That means I’m the best. To me, that means I’m the best. You beat all the contenders, you’re the best in the world, and that’s it.”
