With Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic currently not competing, Dana White is prepared to schedule UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall for upcoming fights.
The British fighter last entered the octagon at UFC 295 in November. Following the cancellation of the Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic fight, the promotion arranged for Tom Aspinall to face Sergei Pavlovich.
They competed for the interim heavyweight championship, anticipating ‘Bones’ would be sidelined for an extended period.
Tom Aspinall clinched the UFC interim heavyweight championship effortlessly, defeating Pavlovich in the first round. After his win, the British fighter expressed his desire to compete against both Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic.
Dana White and the UFC organization were particularly interested in the latter proposal, offering both fighters the main event slot for UFC 300 the following month.
Nevertheless, Stipe Miocic opted out, leaving Tom Aspinall without a fight. Since securing the title, the interim champion has consistently sought opportunities to defend his title and stay in competition.
Aspinall even suggested participating in a standalone boxing match should the UFC not accommodate his wish to compete.
Yet, Dana White, the UFC President, is open to letting Tom Aspinall defend his title. In a recent TNT Sports interview discussing the heavyweight division’s future, White affirmed that the Jones vs. Miocic bout is still on the agenda. However, he acknowledged it wouldn’t be fair to keep Aspinall inactive.
“Jones is set to fight Stipe,” Dana White stated to TNT Sports. “I hope that the winner of that fight, will fight Tom. Yeah, we’ll see [about it potentially happening in England], I agree… Well, yeah. If you think right now, it’s March, who knows [what will happen]? With Jon Jones and Stipe, because of the injury, who knows when they’ll fight.”
He continued, “It’s not right to let Tom sit. If Tom wants to defend the title, we will absolutely do it.”
