Where does Tom Aspinall go with a potential Jon Jones title unification loss? Exploring the Englishman's options
Tom Aspinall has found himself in a sticky situation. Since 2023, he has been aiming to fight the great Jon Jones to prove himself as the UFC heavyweight division's next big thing. To cement his status as Jones' undeniable challenger to the throne, he captured the interim title.
Unfortunately, Jones has continued to evade him, taunting him with a will he/won't he dynamic. Many assume that it is due to Jones' fear of facing Aspinall in the octagon and that may very well be true. Aspinall himself is supremely confident in his ability to defeat him.
What, though, would happen if Aspinall loses? What possible step could he take next in the event of a defeat?
Tom Aspinall cannot afford to lose to Jon Jones
Tom Aspinall is a victim of success. He has decimated multiple top heavyweights. He recently knocked out the No.5-ranked Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 to defend his interim title, knocked out the No.4-ranked Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295 to capture the belt, and also TKO'd the No.8-ranked Marcin Tybura at UFC Fight Night 224.
Before that, he was on the receiving end of a freak injury against Blaydes at UFC Fight Night 208. So the loss was, in no way, shape or form, legitimate. He also submitted the No.3-ranked Alexander Volkov at UFC Fight Night 204, and TKO'd the No.7-ranked Serghei Spivac at UFC Vegas 36.
In short, he has beaten three top five heavyweights, and half of the top 10. There are no other compelling matchups for him besides Jailton Almeida, ranked #6, and possibly Ciryl Gane, ranked just below him at #2. Everyone else is either ranked too low or has already lost to him in embarrassing fashion.
So, if the Englishman fails to dethrone Jon Jones, he'll be relatively directionless. A rematch would be unlikely, as it is currently proving extremely difficult for the promotion to convince Jones to fight him for the first time. A win would be held over Aspinall's head by Jones for as long as he breathes.
Aspinall would have to face Gane in a matchup of lesser heavyweights who have lost to Jones and hope that his follow-up efforts, if he's even successful, push his failure against 'Bones' to the background. There is no other sensible choice, as he's far too big to even consider reinventing himself as a light heavyweight.
Alternatively, he could pursue a super-fight with PFL star Francis Ngannou, who once held UFC heavyweight gold. But the truth of the matter is that for Aspinall, it's beating Jones or bust.