Tom Aspinall believes Jon Jones is at a career crossroads.
Aspinall has been seeking a unification fight with heavyweight champion Jones for over a year. Despite Aspinall holding the interim title, Jones chose to defend his UFC heavyweight belt against Stipe Miocic last November and won. Following that victory, Jones suggested a very large sum of money would be needed to fight Aspinall, hinting instead at a superfight with then-light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira.
Earlier this month, Pereira lost his title to Magomed Ankalaev in a close decision. Aspinall admits that while he doesn’t want to celebrate another fighter’s loss, Ankalaev’s win has unexpectedly benefited him.
“Jon’s probably threw his phone across the room on Saturday night,” Aspinall joked. “He was ready to announce the Pereira fight.”
“Honestly, I’m not happy when someone loses. I’m a fan of Alex Pereira, I like his fighting style and what he has achieved. But for me personally, this couldn’t have happened at a better time.”
UFC CEO Dana White previously seemed interested in a Jones vs. Pereira superfight, but that now appears unlikely. A rematch between Ankalaev and Pereira seems to be the direction, leaving Jones with only two options, according to Aspinall.
“Jon has nowhere else to go,” Aspinall stated. “He must either fight me or retire now. And if he retires, everyone will know he avoided fighting me. There isn’t another fight for Jon right now. So it works out well for me.”
Aspinall remains hopeful that Jones will choose to fight. While reports have indicated Jones wants six months to prepare for a fight with Aspinall, the interim champion is optimistic based on his discussions with UFC officials.
“I want the fight to happen, obviously,” Aspinall said. “I’ve been talking about it for years. Honestly, I’ve spoken with Dana and Hunter a few times, and they’ve told me it’s going to happen. That’s what I’m relying on. The UFC executives know what’s really going on, and when I’ve talked to them, they are confident it will happen. So I believe it will if they are telling me that.”
