Tom Aspinall has acknowledged he may soon have to “move on” from a long-awaited showdown with Jon Jones, as hopes for a UFC heavyweight title unification bout continue to stall.
The Wigan-born fighter, who has held the interim heavyweight title since November 2023 and successfully defended it in July 2024, remains sidelined in his pursuit of a bout with Jones — the division’s undisputed champion.
Speaking on The High Performance Podcast — in a segment likely recorded in March — Aspinall expressed growing frustration over the lack of progress. “I’m well bored of it, I’ve had enough,” he admitted. “We either need to fight or I need to move on, do something else.”
Jones, 37, has made it clear on several occasions that he has little interest in fighting Aspinall, 32. While the American returned to action in November to defeat Stipe Miocic with a devastating spinning back kick, a unification fight against Aspinall has yet to materialise — much to the Briton’s frustration.
“I think it’s just down to money, on his side,” said Aspinall. “I’ll fight whenever, wherever he wants, but I think at this stage in his career, he’s had an amazing run. He’s got a million miles on the clock… a lot of damage on the body. That’s not disrespect — it’s reality.”
Aspinall went on to point out the risk Jones would be taking by stepping in the Octagon with him. “I’m not trying to blow my own trumpet, but I’m literally the most dangerous guy in the UFC if you look at the stats,” he said. “I think Jon’s a smart guy, and he realises he wants to be compensated financially for it.”
After Jones suffered a torn pectoral muscle in October 2023, Aspinall stepped in to face Sergei Pavlovich for the interim title, securing a thunderous first-round knockout. He then defended the belt in front of a home crowd in Manchester, stopping Curtis Blaydes in emphatic fashion in July.
Despite those performances — and Jones’s own victory over Miocic — the UFC has yet to schedule the unification bout fans have been calling for. For now, Aspinall’s future remains uncertain, as the most dangerous heavyweight in the division continues to wait for a champion who may never come.