It is inevitable that Tom Aspinall will fight for undisputed UFC heavyweight gold — but it might come sooner than expected.
Aspinall, who won the interim heavyweight championship last November in Madison Square Garden in what was a short-notice showdown with Russian powerhouse Sergei Pavlovich, has long been campaigning for an opportunity to compete for the formal championship currently held by Jon Jones.
Jones is slated to defend his crown in a long-delayed bout in New York with former champion Stipe Miocic next month in a fight after which it is speculated that one or both might confirm their retirement from mixed martial arts — a move which would presumably result in Aspinall’s interim title being upgraded to the real thing.
There is another scenario though — and it involves either Jones or Miocic being unable to make the walk to the cage in the Big Apple on November 17. And in that particularly set of circumstances, Aspinall says he will be the man the UFC calls to fill the gap.
“Yes, it is official,” Aspinall told Ariel Helwani on Uncrowned this week of his position as the official main event backup fighter.
“I mean, Dana announced it a while ago now, but I didn’t actually hear anything from the UFC. But now we’ve actually spoken, everything’s going good. We’ve come to an agreement about it, we know what’s happening going forward.
“We’ve got plans, we’ve got future fight plans, everything is right there. It’s gonna be a good couple of years, let me tell you. Big plans, big, big, massive plans.”
He added: “My gut’s telling me [I won’t be needed], to be honest. Do I think it’s going to happen? Is it likely? In my opinion, probably not. But will I be ready? Absolutely.”
