Tom
Aspinall says his upcoming title shot was just what he
expected, and the only surprise was its timing.
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Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight contender Aspinall
(13-3) recently received an early morning phone call from the
promotion asking if he was ready to fight on two weeks’ notice. A
day later Aspinall was booked to take on Sergei
Pavlovich (18-1) for the interim title in the co-main event at
UFC 295 on Nov. 11 in Madison Square Garden.
The card was originally scheduled to be headlined by Jon Jones
defending his strap against heavyweight legend Stipe
Miocic. However, the bout fell through as Miocic reportedly
refused to accept a change in opponent after Jones was forced out
due to a pectoral injury.
Two of the fastest-rising forces in the heavyweight division,
Aspinall and Pavlovich have been on a collision course for a while
now. Moreover, Aspinall recently revealed that a clash against the
Russian, potentially for the vacant title, was on the cards even
prior to Jones’ injury.
Jones had hinted that he might hang up his gloves after the fight
against Miocic, who also doesn’t seem keen on any other matchup.
According to Aspinall, the UFC was open to the idea of both
veterans retiring after UFC 295, which would have left the
heavyweight throne vacant. The Englishman claims he would have been
booked against Pavlovich for the vacant title early next year.
The 30-year-old discussed
the UFC’s quiet planning in an appearance this week on “The MMA
Hour.”
“I guess I can speak about it now, really. I was sworn to secrecy a
little bit. The original plan was, obviously, them two guys were
going to fight, and Sergei was going to be the backup. I think they
were under the impression that both guys are going to retire
afterward, and they were going to see how that played out a little
bit.”
“If they were both going to retire, then I was going to fight
Pavlovich for the vacant title anyway. Like early next year… It
was just a big waiting game for me.”