Tom Aspinall proposes four-man tournament featuring Jon Jones, Alex Pereira, and Stipe Miocic at UFC 309
Tom Aspinall wants to fight in a one-night tournament with Jon Jones, Stipe Miocic, and Alex Pereira.
On Saturday night, Aspinall made his ninth walk to the Octagon in the UFC 304 co-main event. The reigning interim heavyweight champion was tasked with defending his strap for the first time, as he continues to wait for an undisputed title shot against the winner of Jones vs Miocic.
Aspinall's latest challenge was Curtis Blaydes, who was coming off an impressive performance against Jailton Almeida. Blaydes received plenty of respect and credit heading into UFC 304, but ultimately suffered the same fate as Aspinall's last three opponents - a first-round knockout loss.
Following his eighth UFC win, Aspinall joined the media for a post-fight press conference. The 31-year-old pitched an intriguing idea by saying this about a four-man tournament for the undisputed heavyweight title at UFC 309:
"Here's a thought for you. I was thinking about this today. They're saying that Stipe [Miocic] and Jon Jones are going to fight in MSG [Madison Square Garden] in November. Why don't we do a tournament? We'll do Jon, Stipe, me, Alex [Pereira] and do a four-man tournament, two fights in one night, and let's find out who the real heavyweight champion of the world is."
Aspinall continued by saying:
"We got the best heavyweight of all time, we got the best MMA fighter of all time, we've got the light heavyweight champion, and then we've got me, who's just a poxy interim champion. Do you know what I mean? Let's do that, two fights in one night."
Watch Tom Aspinall's comments below (22:03):
Tom Aspinall praises Alex Pereira as "one scary guy"
Alex Pereira's success since moving up from middleweight to light heavyweight has fans wondering if he could become the UFC heavyweight champion. 'Poatan' has become a world champion in both weight classes and established a promotional record of 8-1, including six knockouts, in less than three years.
During the previously mentioned post-fight interview, Tom Aspinall reacted to Dana White wanting Pereira to stay at light heavyweight by saying:
"I am honestly the biggest fan of Alex Pereira. He's one scary guy."
Tom Aspinall's four-man tournament will make longtime fans nostalgic about the early UFC and Pride Fighting Championship days. Unfortunately, most state commissions, including New York, aren't likely to approve the concept. Therefore, Aspinall will likely have to wait to fight the winner of Jon Jones vs Stipe Miocic.
Watch Aspinall finish Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 below: