Signs are pointing to a Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight
championship unification battle in the not-too-distant future.
At UFC 309, disputed heavyweight kingpin Jon Jones
(28-1, 1 NC) defended his throne against Stipe
Miocic, dispatching the longtime titleholder with a spinning
back kick and follow-up punches. In his post-fight interview, Jones
expressed that he would not likely be retiring after his victory,
while not naming his next opponent as he noted there are plenty of
options going forward. According to one of those options, Tom
Aspinall (15-3), he will be the next challenge to “Bones.”
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Despite the excitement potential of a title unification, Jones was
not entirely sold on the endeavor. He suggested that instead, light
heavyweight champ Alex
Pereira should move up to try to become the UFC’s first
beltholder in three weight classes. The New Yorker again flirted
with retirement if he does not battle “Poatan” next, but the UFC
might not agree with him.
Aspinall claimed to have received some good news from UFC execs
Dana White and Hunter
Campbell in the immediate aftermath of UFC 309. The Brit posted
a video on his YouTube
channel meeting White and Campbell backstage, and he expressed
plenty of excitement.
“Just had a meeting with Dana [and] the other UFC brass, Hunter.
And all success. See you next time, big news coming,” he said on
the video.
The interim heavyweight champ also claims to have witnessed more
positive hints from the UFC chiefs regarding his next fight.
According to Aspinall in a conversation with ESPN analysts, White
and Hunter also pointed at him and winked while Jones was talking
about his future in his post-fight Octagon interview.
“When Jon
Jones was doing his speech, I was looking directly at the UFC
brass, Dana and Hunter,” Aspinall remarked. “And both of them
turned to me at the same time and pointed at me and winked… at the
same time. So, to me that says there’s something big in the
pipeline…This is the biggest fight…This is potentially one of the
biggest fights in MMA right now. And if that doesn’t interest
Jon
Jones then I don’t know what else we can do…Everybody knows
that this the fight to make. This is the fight that the people
want, this is the fight that the UFC wants, this is the fight that
the fans want. And this the fight that has to happen now.”