After taking a break over the holidays, Tom Aspinall is once again venting his frustration over the goings-on at the top of the heavyweight division.
After claiming the interim world title via a first-round knockout of Sergei Pavolovich at UFC 295, Aspinall thought he would be on the fast track to a unification clash with reigning undisputed heavyweight king, Jon ‘Bones’ Jones. However, UFC CEO Dana White put the kibosh on that pretty quickly, revealing that the promotion would move forward with a title bout between Jones and former two-time champ Stipe Miocic with the winner eventually facing Aspinall to unify the two belts.
Aspinall immediately trashed the UFC’s plan but seemingly moved on after rumors began to swirl that he would defend his interim title against current light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira at UFC 300 in April.
With ‘Poatan’ recently dispelling that rumor, Aspinall is once again throwing some shade at Stipe Miocic as tensions continue to grow over his perceived benching
“Last time Stipe fought and won, GTA: San Andreas had just come out on PS2,” Aspinall wrote on X. “He will fight next for the undisputed heavyweight title, ahead of me, who’s the interim champ, active and ranked #1 in the world right now. This makes me quite upset.”
Last time Stipe fought and won, GTA: San Andreas had just come out on PS2. He will fight next for the undisputed heavyweight title, ahead of me, who’s the interim champ, active and ranked #1 in the world right now. This makes me quite upset
— Tom Aspinall (@AspinallMMA) January 4, 2024
“Stipe is one of my favourites,” Aspinall added. “Loads of respect to him his Résumé is far superior to mine rn. That being said the UFC has never been about this. It’s about who’s the best right now, and I believe that’s me and it’s only right I get to prove it.”
Stipe is one of my favourites. Loads of respect to him his Résumé is far superior to mine rn. That being said the UFC has never been about this. It’s about who’s the best right now, and I believe that’s me and it’s only right I get to prove it #freeaspinall
— Tom Aspinall (@AspinallMMA) January 4, 2024
Aspinall couldn’t close out his argument without making mention of his own resume. More specifically, what he has accomplished in the time since Miocic last had his hand raised inside the Octagon.
“Final fun fact: Since stipe last won a fight (Aug ‘20) , I have blown my knee out, went thru the rehab process and had a year off, also had 7 UFC fights, including 4 wins vs top 10 ranked opponents and won the interim title on 2 weeks notice.”
Final fun fact:
Since stipe last won a fight (Aug ‘20) , I have blown my knee out, went thru the rehab process and had a year off, also had 7 UFC fights, including 4 wins vs top 10 ranked opponents and won the interim title on 2 weeks notice— Tom Aspinall (@AspinallMMA) January 4, 2024
With Jon Jones currently sidelined after undergoing surgery to repair a torn pectoral muscle, there is no anticipated date for his heavyweight superfight with Stipe Miocic. As a result, Tom Aspinall could be left on the bench for the better part of a year. A frustrating reality for a fighter who just spent a year rehabbing after suffering a devastating knee injury.
