Is Tom Aspinall headed for the same dreaded fate as Michael Chandler? The lightweight star wasted two years of the twilight of his prime, while Conor McGregor strung him along. Aspinall’s situation is not too far off. He’s been waiting for Jon Jones since November 2023, when he won the interim title. And a UFC veteran has promptly warned him against stepping into ‘Iron’s shoes.

For two long years, Michael Chandler waited to get his hands on the ‘red panty night’ paycheck, calling out Conor McGregor to fight him on numerous occasions. Be it after his fight, through his podcast, or even during a WWE appearance, Chandler was really trying to get that to happen. Dana White paired the lightweight duo up for UFC 303, but that fight did not materialize after McGregor injured himself in camp. It’s been crickets ever since. But the situation is a little different for Aspinall.

Former UFC fighter-turned-podcast host, Josh Thomson, believes Tom Aspinall could be on the same boat because waiting for Jon Jones will only result in his fighting years getting wasted. So, what should he do? “We did a bad take on this whole [situation]. Like, is Tom Aspinall the new Michael Chandler? As much as I wanna say he’s not, if he continues to carry on this way, he could be,” Josh Thomson stated on the ‘Weighing In’ podcast.

“He’s got to step away [from Jon Jones]. He’s got to just get busy, and I’ve always said this: winning solves everything. You continue to win, you beat everybody else in the division, and Jon doesn’t wanna fight you, then we can say Jon’s ducked,” the ex-UFC fighter added, “If he does fight you after you beat everybody else, then that puts a stamp more on your name. It’s going to probably entice Jon a little bit more if you are [winning].”

Thomson raises some good points. Aspinall just beat the record for the longest interim title reign in the UFC. He surpassed 535 days holding the interim belt, even defending it once against Curtis Blaydes. ‘Honey Badger’ is so fed up with Jones’ games that he said, “I’ve had enough talking about it, mate. I’m honestly bored of it. We’ll see what happens. Yeah, we’ll just see. I’m ready to fight whenever they tell me, so just let me know. I’ll be there.” Michael Chandler did the same thing when he accepted a Charles Oliveira rematch for UFC 309 after waiting for Conor McGregor for almost two years.

While the whole community has called out Jon Jones for apparently ‘ducking’ Tom Aspinall, he still has a few fighters supporting his case. In fact, one of those fighters is a former rival, on whom he used an illegal move when they fought!

Anthony Smith defends Jon Jones against Tom Aspinall’s ‘ducking’ accusations

Anthony Smith really proved why he’s called ‘The Lionheart’ after he decided to keep fighting despite eating an illegal knee strike from Jon Jones at UFC 235. He could have won the title via disqualification, but he didn’t want to take the easy route. Then again, some may wonder if the use of illegal moves by Jones has left a bad taste in Smith’s mouth when it comes to his impression of the now-undisputed heavyweight champion. However, there’s no animosity.

Addressing the allegations that Jon Jones was ducking Tom Aspinall, Anthony Smith claimed that he fully supported Jon Jones’ decision to just enjoy his time while others want him to fight. ‘Bones’ is already an established name in the UFC, and it’s Aspinall who needs the fight more. As such, Smith claims Jones has assessed the situation and is playing mind games with the Manchester native, and it seems like it’s working because the interim champion is currently frustrated with his status.

“He’s doing his own thing, on his own time, and Aspinall desperately needs Jon Jones. So, what is Jon going to do? He’s gonna do whatever the f— he wants to do, because he’s thinking, ‘Who the f— are you? I’m Jon f—ing Jones,'” Anthony Smith stated in a recent interview with Din Thomas. “That’s how he moves. Whatever you want, he wants the opposite. He’s a master manipulator. So, he’s having a really good time wearing Aspinall the f— out emotionally.”

Recently, Jon Jones shared a hint that he might return to the Octagon, but his recent internet activity shows he’s still enjoying his time in Thailand. Well, it seems like something has to happen because Tom Aspinall is only going to get older. What do you think about the interim champion’s current situation? Is he really going to become the second coming of Michael Chandler and waste his prime fighting years?