Three Alternative Options For Tom Aspinall Should Jon Jones Fight Not Materialize
One has to spare a thought for UFC interim champion Tom Aspinall at the moment. The British knockout artist has been clamoring for a unification fight with Jon Jones for the better part of two years now. He was first placed on the back burner so that the GOAT could wait for a fight that no one wanted to see against a 42-year-old Stipe Miocic. Now, he is being flat-out ignored while Jones swans around Thailand.
In recent weeks, the critics demanding that Jones should be stripped of his heavyweight title and Aspinall's status upgrade have grown louder. Esteemed journalist Ariel Helwani was the most recent to speak out, but Jonny Bones, and more importantly, the UFC itself, seem unmoved. As such, Aspinall continues to loiter in purgatory.
Bookies Already Have Potential Fight Priced Up
Fans have been clamoring for a Jones-Aspinall fight for so long that online UFC odds providers already have a potential fight between the two priced up, even though it seems that a fight date won't be announced anytime soon. The latest UFC fight odds for a prospective bout between the two price the younger Aspinall as a narrow -115 betting frontrunner, with Jones just behind at -105. And it could well be the fact that the Brit is the favorite to become the first man in history to defeat Jones that has the American on the run.
The reasons for both his and the entire organization's actions in recent times are up for debate, but one thing that isn't is that Aspinall will certainly be lucky to stay active in the meantime. He has already been outside of the Octagon for the better part of a year now, and here are three options that he could defend his interim heavyweight championship against in the coming months.
Cyril Gane
Former heavyweight title contender Cyril Gane is the obvious choice as an opponent for Aspinall. The Frenchman has twice challenged for the gold before, and he came up short on both occasions, firstly to Francis Ngannou and most recently to Jones two years ago. However, on both occasions, he bounced back well.
Following that initial defeat to the Predator, Gane responded by winning a firefight against Tai Tuivasa in front of a raucous home crowd in Paris. In the 26 months since that defeat to Jones, he has reeled off two straight victories against Serghei Spivac and Alexander Volkov, the latter being a razor-thin and highly controversial split decision. The contentious nature of that most recent victory could harm his chances somewhat, with UFC head honcho Dana White saying in the aftermath of the bout that the decision was a disgrace and Volkov should have been awarded the victory.
Even so, a clash between Aspinall and Gane would be a huge ordeal, especially if it took place in Europe. The interim champion would be favored to secure the victory, but the number two-ranked Frenchman knows he would have to win to have any hope of future championship opportunities. That's primarily because he was utterly destroyed by Jones in their heavyweight title clash in March 2023, suffering a first-round submission defeat, and securing the interim title would be his only way to secure a rematch with the American.
Alex Pereira
Before Aspinall's rise to interim champion status, Jon Jones stated he had a plan in mind for legacy fights. He won the first of those against Stipe Miocic. The second was supposed to be against the then-light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira. Fans then revolted at the idea, demanding that a clash between Jonny Bones and Aspinall be made next.
“I think the fight the UFC has the appetite for is Jon Jones vs Tom Aspinall” @Jon_Anik & @LynchOnSports discuss Jon Jones possible next opponent pending #UFC309 results 👀
— Bodog (@BodogCA) November 14, 2024
Check out the FULL interview on our YouTube channel ➡️ https://t.co/vVTkPnjUOL pic.twitter.com/qypbzFBVmr
As such, no clash between the American and Poatan has been agreed upon or even mentioned in the last few months. But with Jones seemingly unwilling to get in the cage against Aspinall, could the Brit throw a curveball by fighting Pereira himself and drawing the ire of the man seemingly ducking him?
The bout certainly makes sense. Firstly, as we have alluded to, it provides Aspinall with the perfect opportunity to irritate Jones. Secondly, Pereira deserves the opportunity, considering his exploits in recent years. And third, the Brazilian no longer holds the light heavyweight championship, seemingly clearing the way for a move up to heavyweight.
Alexander Volkov
As we mentioned earlier, many thought that Alexander Volkov was robbed in his recent split decision defeat to Cyril Gane back in December. The contentious loss snapped a four-fight winning streak that the Russian was in the midst of, with three of those wins coming via stoppage. The last man to defeat him before that streak? Aspinall.
Volkov is hardly a pay-per-view draw, and he was submitted in the first round the first time he faced the current interim champion. However, his win streak certainly brought him back into the limelight, while that loss against Gane has only increased the clamor to see the Russian succeed. Aspinall would probably win a second fight between the pair, but it could well serve as the perfect warm-up before a grudge match against Jones later in the year.