In a cryptic tweet Heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones acknowledges interim Heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall’s performance
Current Heavyweight champion Jon Jones won the belt back in March 2023. Orignially he was scheduled to defend his belt against Stipe Miocic at Madison Square Garden in November 2023. However, Jones had to withdraw due to a torn pec which opened the door for Tom Aspinall. Aspinall stepped in to fight Sergei Pavlovich on short notice for the interim Heavyweight belt.
After knocking out the Russian Pavlovich and saving the card, Aspinall was the new interim heavyweight champion. Since then, Jones has yet to return to competition, but having undergone surgery it seems his return is eyed for the end of the year.
This past Saturday Tom Aspinall defended his interim belt at UFC 304 by finishing Curtis Blaydes in the first round, earning himself the next spot in line to unify the belt.
Dana White confirmed back in May that the plan is for Jones and Stipe to fight at MSG in November 2024. White doubled down on this claim at the UFC 304 post-fight press conference stating Tom will fight the winner of Miocic and Jones. Dana even stated that he would happily have Tom Aspinall serve as the backup fighter for the unconfirmed bout:
“We’d be insane not to make him [Tom Aspinall] the backup for that fight,” White said.
After finishing Blaydes, Aspinall grabbed the mic to politely get the attention of current Heavyweight champion Jones. He said:
“Hello Jon, I’ve got nothing against you personally, I just think I’m better than you.”
Tom did not stop there repeatedly expressing his interest in a fight with Jones in his post-fight press conference:
“Jon’s (Jones) the undisputed champion, but I’m the best in the world, if that makes any sense. We know what Jon’s doing, Jon was there, crossing how fingers and toes tonight hoping I’d lose to Curtis (Blaydes).”
Jon Jones then took to X to share his thoughts on the latest interim Heavyweight title fight.
Jon Jones Responds to Tom Aspinall’s UFC 304 Callout
Despite the rumoured November fight there is yet to be an official announcement. However, after Tom Aspinall’s most recent victory, Jones would struggle to ignore Tom’s title tirade.
It would appear that Aspinall has received the appreciation of the current Heavyweight champion Jon Jones. In a cryptic post on X Jones acknowledged the interim champ Aspinall stating:
“Supply and demand at its finest, I love it.”
Although the exact meaning of this post is uncertain, the prospect of fighting Aspinall seems to excite him. Not mentioning his opponent but accepting the undeniable “demand” for this fight.
With Aspinall set to fight the winner of the unofficial November unifier, will it be Jones or Miocic up next on Aspinall’s hit list? Let us know what you think in the comments below!
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