During his lengthy period away from fighting, Tom Aspinall consistently maintained that his primary ambition was to become the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion, irrespective of whether a bout with Jon Jones materialized. Following Jones` announcement of retirement – which, perhaps surprisingly, lasted only a couple of weeks – Aspinall traveled to Las Vegas for discussions with UFC officials regarding his immediate future.
While reviewing the list of potential adversaries, Aspinall acknowledged that facing Jones was unequivocally the most significant and impactful fight available to him. However, he expressed his belief that the division is poised for renewed excitement as he intends to be a highly active champion.
“The heavyweight division isn`t exactly electrifying at this moment,” Aspinall remarked to Adam Catterall after returning to his home in England. He clarified this perspective was “From a name point of view.” Aspinall added, “I think the talent pool is definitely present. But if you recall five or more years ago, the star power within the top 15 was simply phenomenal. You had legends like Fabricio Werdum, Cain Velasquez, Junior dos Santos, Mark Hunt, Alistair Overeem, Brock Lesnar, and others like Stipe Miocic – the list was endless. You`d look through that top 15 and just be amazed. In contrast, now, even I, being a heavyweight, look at the top 15 and find myself thinking I haven`t really seen many of these fighters compete before.”
He anticipates that this situation will evolve over the coming years. “I believe there will be more major fights in the heavyweight class. Fighters will gain greater recognition, which is positive,” Aspinall stated. “We simply need more rising heavyweights establishing themselves within the top 15.”
The positive news is that Aspinall expects to be back in action relatively soon, as the UFC has extended an offer for a fight, which he has already accepted.
“I now have a fight secured, which will be officially announced later – that`s not my role, unfortunately,” Aspinall revealed. “But at least we now have a target date and an opponent to prepare for. Everything is moving forward well. I`m very pleased about this. My career can finally get back on track.”
Considering the UFC`s schedule for the remainder of 2024, Aspinall is likely looking at a return in October, November, or December, depending on how the promotion schedules events. October`s pay-per-view event is slated for Abu Dhabi, while the UFC is expected to host an event at Madison Square Garden in New York in November.
The final major event of the year typically takes place in December, with indications pointing towards a return to Las Vegas to conclude the calendar year.
While Aspinall did not disclose specifics about the date, location, or opponent, he did address potential matchups with a couple of fighters, with former interim champion Ciryl Gane seemingly high on the list.
“We`ve been scheduled to fight each other a couple of times previously,” Aspinall mentioned concerning Gane. “He`s slightly older and started his UFC career a bit earlier than I did. So, when I was coming up, I consistently wanted to fight him because he was perpetually just ahead of me in the rankings.”
Aspinall continued, “The fight never materialized. To be honest, he declined the bout a couple of times. I don`t believe he wanted to fight down in the rankings. I understand it – I`m a difficult matchup for anyone. It`s a risky fight for anybody. So, I see why someone might hesitate to fight below them in the rankings, but I`m quite confident that fight will happen eventually.”
Aspinall also commented on Jailton Almeida, who has been quite vocal in campaigning for a heavyweight title shot.
“I like him,” Aspinall said about the Brazilian contender. “I think he`s a good fighter. He had a loss against Curtis Blaydes, but he generally looks impressive. There aren`t a great number of top heavyweights around. He seems promising.”
Another potential opponent for the future is the Russian heavyweight Alexander Volkov, whom Aspinall defeated via armbar submission in 2022. Since that fight, Volkov has compiled a 4-1 record, with his only defeat being a close, somewhat debated split decision against Ciryl Gane last December.
While Aspinall doesn`t seem to be prioritizing rematches immediately, he definitely views Volkov as a likely opponent down the line.
“Frankly, I thought [Volkov] won the fight against Gane as well,” Aspinall commented. “Just my opinion, but I thought he took it. Honestly, I knew how skilled Volkov was when I fought him. He is genuinely very, very good. I believe he has improved since then. I would imagine we will probably have a rematch at some point. I wasn`t nearly as skilled then compared to where I am now.”
“So, if we do rematch, it would be fascinating,” he added. “Understandably, no two fights are identical, but if you compare my capabilities now to what they were three or four years ago, whenever that fight took place, you must remember that was also my first main event. It was my first time competing in front of a live audience after the pandemic. Things are vastly, vastly different now compared to back then. I anticipate that fight happening again; I would expect so. I think Volkov will continue winning. I`m confident that fight will occur at some stage.”
Regardless of who the opponent is, Aspinall is simply eager to return to competition after a frustrating year away. He clearly foresees new challenges ahead now that he holds the undisputed UFC heavyweight championship.
“There are several fighters I haven`t faced yet,” Aspinall mentioned. “I won`t name them because people will just take it out of context and post about it, but the fighters I haven`t competed against know who they are, and those are the individuals I want to challenge.”
