Tom Aspinall gives "honest answer" to fan query about Jon Jones fight
Tom Aspinall, the current interim UFC heavyweight champion, has big plans. In addition to providing fans with an update on his future in the octagon, he responded to those wanting to know the latest update on his potential clash with Jon Jones.
The fight has been long anticipated by fans, who think 'Honey Badger' can dethrone Jones as the heavyweight champ. Regarding the same, a fan asked Aspinall about his future in the octagon, writing:
"My question champ - When do u see your next fight happening? ( We all know from the smile that it has to be Jon Jones) Pls reply . Thanks a lot."
The 31-year-old responded in a recent video titled ‘Answer YOUR Questions | Tom Aspinall,' on his YouTube Channel, stating:
"Yeah my .. we are in negotiations right now is the honest answer. So we don’t know when the fight is gonna be. But I’ll be ready to go whenever. I’m back in the gym now. I’m back in the gym training as always. I’ll be ready to fight when they let me know. Until then I’ll be improving. I’ll be getting better. So no great rush on that. Obviously I want to fight as soon as possible but right now we are just waiting for a date. That’s it."
Watch Tom Aspinall's reply below (3:46):
With Jon Jones angling for a super fight with Alex Pereira, it will be interesting to see if the UFC manages to pursue the reigning champ to defend his title against Aspinall next.
Jon Jones remains hesitant about fighting Tom Aspinall
After securing a third-round knockout win over Stipe Miocic at UFC 309, 'Bones' confirmed that he isn't retiring and spoke about his future in the octagon. During the post-fight octagon interview with Joe Rogan, Jones said:
"I decided that maybe I will not retire. I have some conversations to have with Dana and Hunter. And we have some negotiating to do. And if everything goes right, we will give you guys what you wanna see …. you guys will hear about it. I’m sure …”
At the post-fight press conference, however, Jones declared that he had no intention of fighting Tom Aspinall. Speaking about his next fight, 'Bones' said:
"I'm not really worried about the Tom fight. I really worried about the Pereira fight. That’s what I wanna do … and I think if the UFC wants to have me back then I think that’s the fight they will make. I’ve been really clear about my intentions.… I don’t want to fight dangerous up-and-comers anymore. I want to fight dangerous established champions. So Tom can have the heavyweight championship… I want Pereira."
Check out Jon Jones' entire UFC 309 post-fight press conference below: