"I was sworn to secrecy" - Tom Aspinall spills the UFC's original plan for the heavyweight division after Jon Jones' presumed retirement
Tom Aspinall recently opened up about the UFC's original plan for the heavyweight division in case Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic chose to retire after their title fight at UFC 295 in November.
While fans eagerly looked forward to the Jones-Miocic fight, 'Bones' was forced out of the bout due to injury and is expected to be sidelined for eight months. As a result, the promotion booked an interim heavyweight title fight between Aspinall and Sergei Pavlovich instead. The Alex Pereira vs. Jiri Prochazka light heavyweight title fight will now serve as UFC 295's headliner.
In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Tom Aspinall revealed some inside information about the UFC's initial plan regarding the heavyweight division's future. He stated:
"I guess I can speak about it now, really. I was sworn to secrecy a little bit. The original plan was, obviously, them two guys were going to fight, and Sergei was going to be the backup. I think they were under the impression that both guys are going to retire afterward, and they were going to see how that played out a little bit."
He continued:
"If they were both going to retire, then I was going to fight Pavlovich for the vacant title anyway. Like early next year... It was just a big waiting game for me."
Catch Aspinall's comments below (15:02):
Tyson Fury sends Tom Aspinall words of encouragement ahead of the Englishman's interim heavyweight title bid
As mentioned, Tom Aspinall is gearing up for the toughest test of his career. The Englishman is set to face Sergei Pavlovich in an interim heavyweight title fight in the co-main event at UFC 295 next month.
Aspinall accepted the fight on short notice after Jon Jones pulled out of his fight against Miocic yesterday due to a pectoral tendon tear. While the 30-year-old undoubtedly has a mountain to climb, he recently received some words of advice and encouragement from WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.
During a conversation with Ariel Helwani, Fury was asked if he had a message for Tom Aspinall. 'The Gypsy King' replied:
"This is a massive, massive opportunity, Tom. We come from nearly the same area, just a couple miles away from each other. I know how long he’s trained for an opportunity... I always said since Tom started in the UFC, I’ve always said he’s capable of winning the heavyweight championship of the world. This is his opportunity to go there, seize it with both hands, and immortality awaits.”