Daniel Cormier questions Tom Aspinall's interim status amid Jon Jones' alleged prioritization of Stipe Miocic matchup
Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier have had a longstanding rivalry that is one of the greatest in the history of mixed martial arts. Despite the latter's retirement from mixed martial arts, it does not seem as he is any more fond of 'Bones' than he was in his fighting days. The UFC Hall of Famer recently revealed that he believes Tom Aspinall should be the undisputed heavyweight champion after defeating Sergei Pavlovich for the interim7 title.
Speaking to Ariel Helwani of The MMA Hour, the former double champ stated:
"I said that I believe that [the interim heavyweight title] fight, before Sergei lost, was for the undisputed title because if Jones and Stipe [Miocic] are only going to fight each other then you cannot have Tom Aspinall then defend the interim championship. I feel like this because Jones and Stipe don't need the title to be on the line. They can just fight and that's enough. Call it for the greatest of all-time. It doesn't matter. Create a belt."
Cormier continued:
"Tom Aspinall is the guy that is going to lead the heavyweight division for years to come so yes, I believe that he should be the undisputed champ. Hey, look, Jones is the undisputed champion. He earned that in the octagon by beating Ciryl Gane, but if he's only going to fight Stipe and that's not for another, what, eight months, seven months, I think you put Tom Aspinall as the champ and I don't think anybody would bat an eyelid."
Check out Daniel Cormier's comments on Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall below:
While he believes that Aspinall should be elevated to undisputed champion, Cormier did add that Jones rightfully earned his status as undisputed champion despite the fact he did not face Francis Ngannou. He compared the situation to himself becoming light heavyweight champion during 'Bones' suspension in 2015.
Tom Aspinall believes the UFC should strip Jon Jones
Tom Aspinall was able to claim the UFC interim heavyweight title when he defeated Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295. Despite this, he is unlikely to face undisputed heavyweight champion Jon Jones, who has shared that his plan is still to face Stipe Miocic in his return from injury.
During a recent interview with UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping, the No.1-ranked heavyweight called for 'Bones' to be stripped, stating:
"I haven't heard nothing from the UFC. I think Jon Jones should be stripped of the title to be honest, because everyone else does when they get injured like that. I don't see why he's still got it."
Check out Tom Aspinall's full comments on Jon Jones below (starting at the 34:45 mark):
Aspinall noted that he would like to face Miocic for the opportunity to face Jones for the undisputed heavyweight title. It remains unlikely, however, that the UFC will strip the heavyweight champion or force the No.4-ranked heavyweight to fight in a title eliminator.