Tom Aspinall faced a challenging year marked by uncertainty over whether he would ultimately fight Jon Jones. Clarity arrived on Saturday when the now-retired former UFC heavyweight champion announced his decision to step away from the sport.
Despite his strong desire to face Jones after winning and defending the interim heavyweight title, Aspinall consistently stated that his primary focus was remaining active and achieving undisputed champion status. With Jones no longer competing, Aspinall has been elevated to the position of the sole heavyweight champion on the UFC roster and is prepared to get back to work with significant goals in mind.
Aspinall acknowledged that dealing with the layoff and uncertainty was “a bit of a challenging time,” but he expressed excitement for the future.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel Sunday, Aspinall declared, “I am going to keep this thing as active as possible. I want to be the best heavyweight ever to walk the face of the Earth. I`m going to defend this thing as many times as I possibly can.”
Aspinall currently holds an impressive 8-1 record in the UFC. His single loss occurred after he suffered a serious knee injury during a bout against Curtis Blaydes. He dramatically avenged this defeat in their rematch last July with a rapid 60-second knockout.
Of his eight victories within the UFC, Aspinall has only gone beyond the first round once, maintaining a perfect 100 percent finishing rate in those wins.
Although the wait to become undisputed champion was lengthy, Aspinall feels ready to accelerate his career now that the situation with Jones is resolved and hopes to book his next fight in the near future.
Aspinall shared his appreciation, stating, “I`m going to keep you guys entertained and I`m really going to give back to everybody who has showed me support over the last year, over the last five years, over the last 10 years. I really appreciate the support and love from everybody. We`re going to see an active, defending UFC heavyweight undisputed champion going forward.”
UFC CEO Dana White announced on Sunday his plans to meet with Aspinall in Las Vegas during International Fight Week to discuss potential matchups.
Leading candidates for a title challenge include Ciryl Gane and Jailton Almeida. However, White did not confirm any specific names yet, indicating he would wait until his meeting with Aspinall to discuss options and arrange his next fight.
Given that the UFC schedule is set through August and no pay-per-view event is currently planned for September, it is probable that Aspinall`s return to competition would not occur before October.
