Tom Aspinall: 'Jon Jones should vacate the belt like the light heavyweights have done'

28/11/2023 20:17

Interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall fought on Nov. 11 and was back in the gym a week later. He accepted the UFC 295 fight with Sergei Pavlovich on two weeks notice and knocked him out in 69 seconds. There's a reason why he was able to step up on that late of notice. He's always in the gym.

"After my fight, I had a week off, and it was a push for me to have a week off to be honest. I start going insane if I can't train for too long. I need to train. I'm just one of those guys. I've got to be in the gym everyday, twice a day, and I'm training all the time.," Aspinall said on Michael Bisping's Youtube channel.

"I'm aware my next fight is probably going to be a while away. I had two fights in four months, so it's quite a lot for a heavyweight at the top of the division, but what else am I going to do? Sit at home all day? I might as well do something productive. As we've spoke about many times, on camera and off camera, I'm trying to be the best heavyweight that's ever walked the face of the Earth. I'm not going to do that sitting at home watching TV, so I'm back after it. I'm hungry and I'm in the gym twice a day. I train twice a day, so feeling good," Aspinall continued.

"It's not going to be a year or nothing like that. It's just the way the fights go that are happening. They're not coming around every two or three months like they are when you're kind of climbing the ladder. It tends to go slower, especially at heavyweight. Who knows? I was saying it was going to be awhile after I fought [Marcin] Tybura in July and I fought again in November, so quick turnaround there. Who knows? That's why I stay in the gym. I never like to be three or four weeks away from peak fitness, so I'll be staying in the gym and ready so I'll be able to take fights whenever."

Aspinall recently stated that heavyweight champion Jon Jones should be stripped of the title. Jones is recovering from surgery to repair an injured shoulder. Aspinall now believes that he misspoke and that Jones should vacate the title just like light heavyweight champions Jiri Prochazka and Jamahal Hill have done.

"Let me start by saying, when I said Jones should be stripped, I messed that up with the way that I worded it," Aspinall said. "Why I mean is he should vacate the title like the light heavyweights have done and keep the division moving a little bit. But, at the end of the day, who am I to tell Jon Jones what he should do? He's an absolute legend of the sport, same with Stipe. All I'm trying to do...I'm trying to be out there getting my dream fight. Give me a break. I'm trying to fight one of the legends. That's all. I'll fight everybody. I've got another ten years left before it is over. I'm going to fight these other guys. I would love to have a crack at these two guys before they retire."