Tom Aspinall gives promising update on Jon Jones showdown after 'fantastic' meeting with UFC brass
03/24/2025 03:20 PM
Interim UFC heavyweight titleholder Tom Aspinall’s optimism about the Jon Jones fight flipped a switch during a recent meeting.
Tom Aspinall‘s long wait for a showdown with UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones led some to believe that the fight would never come to fruition. But despite that sentiment, Aspinall seems more optimistic than ever that he’ll finally face Jones in the Octagon later this year.
Aspinall hasn’t fought since a rare interim title defense against Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 last July. He earned the interim belt by knocking out Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295, a fight that came together on short notice after Jones withdrew from the event due to injury.
Despite the roller coaster ride of the Jones vs. Aspinall negotiations, it appears we’re on the verge of getting some big news about the next heavyweight title fight.
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Tom Aspinall opens up on ‘fantastic’ meeting with UFC brass in London
Jones initially scoffed at the idea of facing Aspinall ahead of his fight with Stipe Miocic at UFC 309. After defeating Miocic, Jones pivoted on his earlier retirement teases for a 2025 return. While he didn’t call out an Octagonside Aspinall by name, talks immediately began about making the heavyweight title unification bout finally come to fruition.
During a recent vlog uploaded to his YouTube channel, Aspinall seemed visibly frustrated by the state of the Jones fight talks. But after meeting with one of the UFC heads last Saturday night, Aspinall has a huge weight off his shoulders as he prepares for his return.
In a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Aspinall opened up on his recent meeting with UFC CBO Hunter Campbell over the weekend in London.
“The picture was actually at the end of the meeting and believe it or not, that was probably at about 2 a.m.,” Aspinall shared. “We had a meeting….had a nice meal, talked everything through. Hunter [Campbell] has always been extremely personable and reasonable with me, I cannot say what he’s like with other people, but with me and my team he’s been nothing but hospitable…
“We had a fantastic meeting, everything went amazing. I understand my position now, and I understand what the company is doing now, and you’ve gotta stay tuned…there’s some big news coming.”
Aspinall was then asked about recent comments he made hinting that his patience is running thin for the Jones fight to come to fruition.
“I feel like we’re in a good spot right now,” Aspinall said. “But first and foremost, I like fighting people, that’s what I like to do. And if I’m not doing that, I feel a little bit…I haven’t been doing that over the last seven months, but after the meeting I’m feeling very optimistic about things and I’m in a really, really good spot with everything. My future moving forward, and it’s really exciting times.”
Aspinall’s comments come after Jones led an explicit chant aimed at him during an appearance at a Dirty Boxing Championship event. Jones recently became a part-owner of the Mike Perry-led promotion.
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Tom Aspinall trolled Jon Jones during on-camera cameo at UFC London
Aspinall got the last laugh in his recent back-and-forths from afar with Jones, as he trolled Jones with a duck during a viral moment at UFC London. Jones has repeatedly been accused by Aspinall and fight fans of ducking the UK champion in favor of other opponents like Alex Pereira.
Jones vs. Aspinall could potentially headline the UFC’s annual International Fight Week event if Jones’s reported training camp length can be negotiated. Jones reportedly wanted a six-month camp to prepare for the Aspinall fight, but as of this writing, Jones and his team haven’t confirmed the reports.
In the meantime, the wait moves on for Jones vs. Aspinall to have a fight date booked, but things are moving in a positive direction for the two top heavyweights to collide.
