Tom Aspinall wants Jon Jones stripped of UFC heavyweight title
The newly crowned UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall believes he should be the undisputed champion. Aspinall is calling for Jon Jones to be stripped of the title because of his shoulder injury.
Aspinall discussed his status as the interim champion in an interview with UFC commentator and former champion Michael Bisping. All quotes via The Score.
“I think Jon Jones should be stripped of the title, to be honest, because everyone else does when they get injured like that,” Aspinall said. “I don’t see why he’s still got it. I don’t understand that. I think I should be the real champion right now.”
The UFC has stripped injured champions in recent memory. In the last year, Jiri Prochazka and Jamahal Hill have both been stripped because of serious injuries. That standard was not held when Jones announced he would miss eight months. In fairness, Jones is given leeway because he is the undisputed GOAT.
The heavyweight division is now a mess. Jones sits as the undisputed champion and Aspinall is the interim champion. Still, the plan is for Jones to fight Miocic in his return. That would leave Aspinall sidelined for far more than a year as he waits for Jones to heal and fight Miocic.
Aspinall provided clarity on how he wants the rest of the division to move forward. That would see him fight Stipe Miocic and Jones.
“It’s hard to say without sounding rude, but who’s asked about Jon Jones and Stipe anymore?” Aspinall said. “Why do we get this legacy fight and they get to live by their own rules? What’s a legacy fight? What’s a retirement fight for a title? I want to fight Stipe and then I want to fight Jon Jones. … I think all this other stuff is a load of rubbish. Stop protecting him now. Stop protecting your boy at the top there, Jon Jones. If he’s injured, get out of the way. I’ll fight Stipe.”
In the immediate aftermath of Aspinall’s title victory, he claimed he wanted to defend the interim title at UFC 300. That mindset has appeared to change and shift toward undisputed gold.
One thing is for certain, Aspinall is not content sitting on the sideline and waiting for for his next fight.
“I’ll let a bit of time pass, see what happens,” he added. “But I’m not waiting for two years to fight. It’s not happening. I need to fight.”
The heavyweight division needs clarity and Aspinall is providing input as to how that could occur. It makes sense for Aspinall to state his case.
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