Tom Aspinall shares inside scoop on talks with UFC about heavyweight title plans: "It's going to be exciting"
Tom Aspinall last entered the octagon in July when he defeated Curtis Blaydes via first-round knockout at UFC 304 to defend his interim heavyweight title for the first time. While he angled for an undisputed title shot against Jon Jones, the UFC opted to have 'Bones' defend his belt against Stipe Miocic in a bout that has been nearly a year and a half in the making.
The No.1-ranked heavyweight recently revealed that he has had talks with the UFC. Speaking to Adam Catterall of UFC on TNT Sports, Aspinall claimed:
"It's exciting times. It's a big fight. It's a massive fight. I'm happy to be there back in New York again. And as we know now, officially, I will step in if an injury is to happen, but it's looking like both guys are going to turn up so I'm excited for the fight."
He was asked if things are looking promising for his own undisputed heavyweight title pursuits, responding:
"It's looking great. We got a plan now. Before, we were just kind of guessing and feeling out what's going to happen next, but now, me and the UFC have spoken at length and we've come to a 2025 road map of what is going to happen with the heavyweight title and it's going to be exciting."
Check out Tom Aspinall's comments on the future of the heavyweight division below (1:36):
Jones and Miocic are both expected to retire following their UFC 309 clash. Aspinall has previously shared that he expects to face the winner of the UFC 310 bout between Ciryl Gane and Alexander Volkov for the undisputed heavyweight title.
Tom Aspinall recently revealed how he believes he would fare against Francis Ngannou
While Francis Ngannou and Tom Aspinall were in the UFC heavyweight division for nearly three years at the same time, the pair never shared the octagon. The latter recently predicted how a fight between the two would go while speaking on his self-titled YouTube channel, stating:
"Oh, that's a good fight. That's a great fight. I've always been a big fan of Francis. Love his story, love what he's all about. I think it's a 50/50 fight, to be honest. Francis is a scary man, but I think technically I would take the edge, but I think that's a great fight."
Check out Tom Aspinall's comments on a bout with Francis Ngannou below (9:00):
Ngannou vacated the heavyweight title and left the UFC in January 2023 after the sides failed to come to an agreement on a new contract. He became the first reigning champion to leave the promotion since B.J. Penn in 2004. After taking two high-profile boxing matches, he made his highly-anticipated return to mixed martial arts this weekend. 'The Predator' defeated Renan Ferreira via first-round knockout at PFL Super Fights: Battle of the Giants in his promotional debut.