The much-hyped hypothetical bout between UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones and the chief contender to his crown, Tom Aspinall, appears to be drawing nearer to reality.
The Briton, the UFC’s interim heavyweight champion since November 2023, has been vocally campaigning for a fight with Jones to determine the organisation’s undisputed champion for more than a year — but has so far received little indication that Jones, who returned to action last November with a successful title defence over Stipe Miocic, would be open to the bout.
UFC boss, Dana White, meanwhile, has offered a more optimistic outlook on the possible fight, telling the media late last year that he was “100 percent” confident that bout will take place in 2025, amid rumours that Jones could be offered a bumper purse to make the bout official.
And while he still awaits concrete news, Aspinall says he is training as if the fight will be offered to him sooner rather than later.
“Got to get back to reality now and get back training for the biggest fight in MMA at the moment,” Aspinall said on his YouTube channel of the Jones fight now that the Christmas and New Year period has come to a close, per MMA Fighting.
“I don’t have any latest on the Jones fight, unfortunately,” he added. “Just waiting at the moment. I’ve said yes to the fight. I’ve agreed to it, obviously, and that’s it. I’m just waiting for his side now and [for] the UFC to sort it out.
“Yeah, I’m just training and getting everything focused to be as fit and ready as I possibly can because, who knows, they might spring the date on me quick. Or they might say the date is in six months, I don’t know. But that’s always kind of what happens between fights anyway — you never really know when your next one is.”
