Modestas Bukauskas is set to compete this Saturday at UFC 315, and interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall played a significant role in his training, even though Aspinall himself doesn`t have a fight scheduled in the near future.
While Bukauskas and others at their gym are preparing for upcoming bouts, Aspinall is still navigating a waiting period, hoping to eventually get the opportunity to unify the UFC heavyweight championship with Jon Jones. Unfortunately, there remains no concrete information on when, or if, that fight will actually take place. Despite this, Bukauskas praises Aspinall for consistently being available to assist him and the rest of the team whenever needed.
“For him, I just want him to get this fight,” Bukauskas shared in an interview. “There just seems to be so much stalling and negotiating and stuff like that’s going on. Tom honestly just wants to fight. He openly says he’ll fight anyone. Obviously, the next logical step is Jon Jones but he says ‘at the end of the day, what do you want me to do?’ Obviously, it’s frustrating for him. I can imagine it’s very annoying but at the same time, he can only control what he can control. That’s what he’s doing.”
“He’s in the gym everyday. He’s helping guys like me and other guys that have fights coming up. Just absolutely amazing. James Webb from our team just defended his Cage Warriors belt.”
Aspinall`s last appearance in the UFC was almost a year ago when he defended his interim title by knocking out Curtis Blaydes in just one minute last July. Four months later, Jones defended his heavyweight belt with a dominant knockout victory over Stipe Miocic. However, the UFC has yet to finalize a deal to bring the two champions together for a unification bout.
With the UFC`s summer fight schedule rapidly filling up, it appears increasingly probable that Aspinall may have to wait until the fall to get his chance to face Jones.
“He’s still training every single day but I can understand from his point of view, very frustrating because when you’re training so hard and you’re putting in all this work, you want to be able to put on shows,” Bukauskas commented on Aspinall`s situation. “I just really hope that it all works out and he’ll be able to fight soon.”
“Because I know he’s itching to go, especially when he’s pretty much in his prime, in his peak. He wants to go out there and compete and often the question is, what’s the hold up?”
As an experienced competitor in the light heavyweight division, Bukauskas himself once viewed Jones as his ultimate target.
Jones holds the record for the longest reign as the 205-pound champion in UFC history and has since committed to competing at heavyweight, where his record stands at 2-0.
While expressing complete respect for Jones`s career accomplishments, Bukauskas warns that he will encounter a completely different type of opponent if he eventually steps into the octagon with Aspinall.
“I mean listen, Tom is unlike anything that I’ve ever trained with, that I’ve ever sparred with and I know for a fact it’s unlike anything Jon Jones has ever fought,” Bukauskas asserted. “When I think about Tom, I think about his speed, his athleticism, his fight IQ. It’s like all the best fighters in the world, they’re thinking of stuff on the go as they’re reacting and making little adjustments and those little adjustments are what gives them the finishing blow. His fight IQ is insane. He’s obviously mad fast and he’s extremely explosive and athletic. These are all things that are in his favor.”
“Jon Jones, extremely technical, he’s got very good wrestling, great striking, good jiu-jitsu, training with some really tough guys as well. I take nothing away from him but I just feel like Tom’s got those attributes as well and he’s got youth on his side. I think he’s got an athleticism prowess that he can use in many areas against Jones in that fight. I think a lot of people will be surprised. I think Tom is just a different kind of athlete, which is why I want them to fight. I want Tom to be able to show the people how good he is.”
Despite the prolonged delays and lack of definitive information about his next bout, Aspinall continues training rigorously, preparing for the day he finally gets to face Jones in the cage.
Bukauskas holds the highest regard for Aspinall, not only as a teammate but also as an example of dedication, showing up consistently even while his own fighting career faces uncertainty.
“You can pretty much say Tom is the team captain along with his dad,” Bukauskas remarked. “Just to be able to get little pointers here and there and see his mindset going into fights and the way that he actually trains and the way he presents himself in sparring, it’s all amazing things that I can learn from. It’s definitely made me a better fighter being up there with him.”
