Peter van den Berg-Imagn Images

Tom Aspinall Pivots Thoughts About Fighting Jon Jones

Originally posted on Dice City Sports | By Robert LaMar | Last updated Jun 29, 2025 6:34 PM ET

Since the moment that Tom Aspinall knew that it was a possibility that he was going to fight Jon Jones, everything has been centered around trying to be the only fighter that would ever beat the GOAT in the ring. Aspinall tried to even have a face off with Jon Jones when requesting a picture with Jones. Since that awkward encounter on March 16th 2024, everything has been about when he’ll be able to get a shot at Jones.

Flash forward to a year later, despite numerous call outs to Jones. The dream fight that Aspinall he was waiting for just crumbled in his face. Jones announced his retirement last Saturday and the reality for never facing the best MMA fighter of all time became a reality. The good news Aspinall became the new UFC heavyweight champion, scrapping the interim term away.

The current group of male UFC champions.

Alexandre Pantoja (FLW)
Merab Dvalishvili (BW)
Alexander Volkanovski (FW)
Ilia Topuria (LW)
Jack Della Maddalena (WW)
Dricus Du Plessis (MW)
Magomed Ankalaev (LHW)
Tom Aspinall (HW)

Exciting times ahead… pic.twitter.com/y9vfWvnVlr

— MMA Orbit (@mma_orbit) June 29, 2025

Tom with the pivot?

Despite his efforts, Aspinall now claims that the biggest fight that he could ever have in his career was never about Jones.

“I’ve said it a million times: I was never actually chasing Jon, I was chasing the heavyweight title,” Aspinall said. “Don’t get me wrong, Jon Jones would have been an amazing scalp to have on my record, but the opponent standing across from me never mattered. It has never mattered, and it never will matter. What was important to me was being the best in the world. The other stuff was pretty irrelevant. As I said, it would have been a great scalp that would have propelled me more than any other fight, but a fight’s a fight. I’m not too bothered.”

Nice pivot but we’re not buying it Tom. You don’t put that much energy into trying to fight someone and then when that possibility is over, you change the course and try to make it about you chasing the heavyweight title. Understandably we call understand his frustration and disappointment but now he can focusing on depending the belt that he’s been wanting for a while.

This article first appeared on Dice City Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: