
During his extended break, Tom Aspinall consistently stated that his primary ambition was to become the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion, regardless of whether this meant facing Jon Jones.
After Jones` brief retirement (which only lasted two weeks), Aspinall met with UFC officials in Las Vegas to discuss his future plans. While acknowledging that facing Jones was the most significant potential bout on the roster, Aspinall is confident that the division will become more dynamic now that he intends to be a highly active champion.
The heavyweight division`s not exactly on fire at the moment. From a name point of view. I think the talent`s there. But if you look five plus years ago, just the name value in the top 15 was incredible. We`re talking guys like Fabricio Werdum, Cain Velasquez, Junior dos Santos, Mark Hunt, Alistair Overeem, Brock Lesnar, etc. Stipe Miocic, the list goes on. You look through the top 15 and it`s like wow, that`s incredible. Whereas now, even me who`s a heavyweight, I look through the top 15 and I`m like I`ve not really seen these guys fight before.
Upon returning to England, Aspinall remarked to Adam Catterall that the current heavyweight division “isn`t exactly on fire,” particularly concerning fighter recognition. He believes the talent exists but contrasts the present with five or more years ago when the top 15 featured incredibly well-known names like Fabricio Werdum, Cain Velasquez, Junior dos Santos, Mark Hunt, Alistair Overeem, Brock Lesnar, and Stipe Miocic. He noted that even as a heavyweight himself, he`s less familiar with many current top 15 fighters.
Aspinall anticipates this situation will improve in the coming years, with more significant heavyweight fights leading to fighters gaining more recognition. He emphasized the need for emerging heavyweights to establish themselves in the top 15.
On a positive note, Aspinall expects to compete again relatively soon, as the UFC has presented him with a fight offer that he has already accepted.
I now have a fight, which will get announced, unfortunately that`s not my job. But at least we`ve got a date, we`ve got an opponent to work towards. Everything`s good. Very happy with that. I can finally get my career going again.
Aspinall confirmed, “I now have a fight, which will be announced soon, though that`s not my role. But at least we have a date and an opponent to prepare for. Things are looking good, and I`m very pleased about it. I can finally get my career back on track.”
Based on the UFC`s calendar for the rest of 2025, Aspinall`s comeback is anticipated in October, November, or December, depending on the event schedule. The October pay-per-view is planned for Abu Dhabi, with a likely November event at Madison Square Garden in New York. The year`s final major event is expected in December, potentially in Las Vegas, signaling a return home for the UFC`s year-end show.
Aspinall didn`t specify dates, locations, or opponents but did comment on potential matchups, with former interim champion Ciryl Gane appearing to be a prime candidate.
We`ve been supposed to fight each other a couple of times before. He`s a little bit older and at least he started his career in the UFC a little bit earlier than I did. So when I was in, it was always like I was trying to fight him because he was just a little bit above me all the time.
Regarding Gane, Aspinall mentioned, “We`ve been scheduled to fight a couple of times previously. He`s slightly older and began his UFC career a bit earlier than me. So when I joined, I was consistently trying to fight him as he was always just ahead of me in the rankings.”
Fight never materialized. He turned me down a couple of times, to be honest. I don`t think he wanted to fight down the rankings. I don`t know. I get it. I`m a bad fight for everybody. It`s a risky fight for everybody. So I understand why you wouldn`t want to fight down the rankings as well but I`m sure that fight`s going to happen sooner or later.
Aspinall added that the fight never happened, claiming Gane declined it “a couple of times.” He speculated Gane might have been unwilling to fight lower-ranked opponents, acknowledging, “I get it. I`m a tough matchup for anyone. It`s a risky fight for everyone. So I understand not wanting to fight down the rankings, but I`m sure that fight will happen eventually.”
Aspinall also commented on Jailton Almeida, who has been outspoken in his pursuit of a heavyweight title opportunity.
I like it. I think he`s good. Took a loss to [Curtis] Blaydes but he looks good. There`s not a lot of good heavyweights around. He looks decent.
Speaking about Almeida, Aspinall stated, “I like him. I think he`s good. He lost to [Curtis] Blaydes but looks impressive. There aren`t many top heavyweights around. He seems decent.”
Another potential future opponent is Russian heavyweight Alexander Volkov, whom Aspinall defeated by armbar submission in 2022. Since that fight, Volkov has compiled a 4-1 record, with his single loss being a close, debated split decision against Ciryl Gane last December.
Although Aspinall doesn`t appear to be seeking immediate rematches, he definitely views Volkov as a likely future opponent.
I actually thought [Volkov] won the Gane fight as well. To be honest. Just but I think he won it. To be honest, I knew how good Volkov was when I fight him. He`s really good. He is really, really good. I think he has improved since then. I think we probably will rematch at some point. I would imagine so. I wasn`t very good then in comparison to what I`m like now.
Aspinall commented, “To be honest, I actually thought [Volkov] won the fight against Gane. I genuinely believe he won it. I knew how skilled Volkov was when I fought him; he is genuinely very good. I think he`s improved since then. I expect we`ll likely have a rematch eventually. I wasn`t as good then compared to where I am now.”
So if we do rematch, that would be interesting. Don`t get me wrong, there`s never any two fights that are the same but I think if you compare now to comparing me to three or four years ago, whenever that fight was, you`ve got to remember that was my first main event as well. That was my first time fighting in front of a crowd as well. That was after the pandemic. Way, way different now than it was then. I think that fight will happen again, I would imagine. I think Volkov`s going to keep winning. I think that fight will happen at some point for sure.
He continued, “So if we do rematch, it would be interesting. Of course, no two fights are identical, but comparing my current self to three or four years ago, when that fight took place, remember it was my first main event and my first time fighting before a live crowd after the pandemic. Things are vastly different now. I anticipate that fight happening again; I believe Volkov will keep winning. I`m quite sure that rematch will occur at some point.”
Regardless of who he faces, Aspinall is eager to return to action after a frustrating year away but acknowledges the new challenges that come with being the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion.
There`s a few guys I`ve not fought. I won`t mention any names because they`ll just cut it up and post it but the guys that I`ve not fought know who they are and they`re the guys that I want to fight.
Aspinall concluded, “There are several fighters I haven`t competed against. I won`t name them explicitly to avoid them taking the quote out of context, but those I haven`t fought know who they are, and they are the opponents I want to face.”