Tom Aspinall makes the case for how he 'might get knocked out' by Jon Jones in heavyweight title clash
03/16/2025 11:16 AM
Interim UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall might have some beef with Jon Jones but he understands the challenge in front of him.
Tom Aspinall and Jon Jones are in active negotiations with the UFC brass to clash later this year. If the fight comes to fruition, it’ll be arguably the biggest fight in UFC history and the biggest in heavyweight MMA history.
Aspinall is considered by many to be one of the toughest tests of Jones’s nearly unblemished MMA career. After Jones defended the lineal UFC heavyweight belt against Stipe Miocic, the attention turned towards the Aspinall fight, exciting fans around the world.
While Aspinall is supremely confident in his abilities, he knows that Jones could potentially catch him and hand him a brutal knockout loss.
Tom Aspinall ‘realistic’ on potentially falling to Jon Jones in heavyweight clash
In a recent interview with Jamal Niaz, Aspinall was asked about what the Jones fight might look like and gave a surprising response.
“I don’t know, it’s hard to say. Who knows what’s going to happen? I might get knocked out in [the Jones] fight,” Aspinall said. “Heavyweight MMA, you can’t plan too far in the future…it’s not about being humble, it’s just about being realistic. Two guys, both massive, both got tiny gloves on, anything can happen.
“I do think my talent is better than anybody else’s, but I’m also realistic,” Aspinall continued. “One of us has to lose, and there’s two of us in there. So we’ll see.”
Aspinall has lost by TKO/KO just once in his UFC career, after shattering his knee against Curtis Blaydes just 15 seconds into their 2022 heavyweight clash. But Aspinall has won three-straight fights since then, including back-to-back finishes of Blaydes and Sergei Pavlovich.
Alex Pereira’s UFC 313 loss solidifies Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall fight talks
After Alex Pereira‘s UFC light heavyweight title reign came to a dramatic end at UFC 313, the door seemingly closed on a potential Pereira vs. Jones matchup. This was a big win for Aspinall, who was originally dismissed by Jones in favor of a potential superfight with Pereira.
UFC CEO Dana White updated fans on the status of Jones vs. Aspinall, claiming that they’re finalizing a timeframe and location for the heavyweight unification bout. It’s been proposed that Jones vs. Aspinall could potentially headline the UFC’s International Fight Week card.
Leading up to UFC 313, Chael Sonnen claimed that if Pereira defeated Magomed Ankalaev, talks of a bout with Aspinall would begin almost immediately afterward. Pereira hasn’t ruled out a potential future move up to heavyweight to face the Jones vs. Aspinall winner.
Hopefully, we’ll get more clarity on Jones vs. Aspinall in the coming weeks. But as for now, the UFC matchmakers are refocused on making the dream heavyweight fight come to fruition.
