"All Peaceful" - Tom Aspinall explains why he approached his meetup with Jon Jones devoid of hostility or agitation
Tom Aspinall recently weighed in on his interaction with Jon Jones and explained his reasoning for approaching the UFC heavyweight champion the way he did.
The reigning interim heavyweight champion and 'Bones' have had their fair share of exchanges over social media, so it was quite a surprise when they were together for a meeting in person at the Arnold Festival. There was no hostility, and both fighters were very cordial with each other, so there was no fear of a brawl ensuing.
In a video that surfaced on social media, Aspinall explained his reasoning for attending Jones' meet-and-greet. He mentioned that he wanted to let the heavyweight champion know that he would be honored to share the cage with him and noted that it was a friendly exchange:
"It was good...All peaceful. I want to fight him but I don't want to fight at an event. I want a UFC fight with him, so I just asked if he will give me the opportunity one day. He said he's healing up good, so we'll see."
It will be interesting to see whether Jones vs. Aspinall becomes a reality at some point, as the heavyweight champion is believed to be fighting Stipe Miocic when he returns. Meanwhile, the interim heavyweight champion appears to have set his sights on a rematch with Curtis Blaydes.
Tom Aspinall reacts to potential rematch against Curtis Blaydes
Tom Aspinall recently shared his reaction to the idea of a potential rematch with Curtis Blaydes should the promotion pursue that next.
Blaydes is coming off an impressive second-round knockout win over Jailton Almeida and expressed interest in running back his bout with the Englishman next. Their first bout took place at UFC Fight Night 208, but there wasn't much action as the reigning interim heavyweight champion suffered a knee injury 15 seconds into the fight and couldn't continue.
Tom Aspinall took to his X account and noted that he would be interested in running his fight back with Blaydes, which would keep both contenders busy while they wait for the outcome of Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic. He wrote:
"Don't gotta ask me twice. I'm in"
![Aspinall's tweet regarding rematch with Blaydes [Image courtesy @AspinallMMA- X]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/03/d9d44-17107803081241-1920.jpg?w=500)