Tom Aspinall is the interim heavyweight champion of the UFC on paper. For most UFC fans and analysts, however, he is the UFC heavyweight champion. This is because Jon Jones will probably retire after his next fight against Stipe Miocic. And Miocic is 41-years-old, way past his prime. Few expect him to beat Aspinall should the two fight.

This is why Aspinall is considered the de facto heavyweight champion of the UFC by many. As a result, Aspinall wants to be acknowledged as the real heavyweight champion. He recently demanded that the UFC strip Jones of the title.

Tom Aspinall makes a case for Jon Jones to be stripped

Tom Aspinall defeated KO artist Sergei Pavlovich in 69 seconds at UFC 295 to become the UFC interim heavyweight champion. This bout was made on short notice after Jon Jones’ injury forced him to pull out of his first heavyweight title defense against Stipe Miocic at the MSG card. Dubbed the battle of the GOATs, ‘Bones’ called it the most important fight of his career. After the injury, however, the former 205-pound champion will be out of commission for around eight weeks, which is what caused the UFC to postpone the Miocic fight to next year pending Jones’ recovery. Despite his long absence, however, Jones has not been stripped of his title.

Aspinall was not happy with this and felt Jones should be stripped of the heavyweight crown when asked on the subject by Bisping.“Well, I’ve heard nothing from the UFC. I think Jon Jones should be stripped of the title, to be honest because everyone else does when they get injured like that. I don’t see why he’s still got it. I don’t understand that,” the interim champion told Bisping.

The Manchester resident declared that he was the real heavyweight champion, and failed to see why Jones-Miocic made sense anymore. He felt it was unfair that they were getting special treatment by the UFC and getting privileges other fighters are not afforded by the promotion.

“I think I should be the real champion right now. It’s hard to say without sounding rude but who’s asked about Jon Jones and Stipe anymore. Why do we get to have this legacy fight and they get to live by their own rules?” Aspinall asked his fellow Englishman.

Aspinall wants to fight Miocic and then Jones

Aspinall said that he should get to fight Miocic next and then face Jon Jones when he returns. He felt that Dana White would not make these fights in a bid to protect Jones and his legacy. “I want to fight Stipe and then I want to fight Jon Jones… All this other stuff is rubbish. Stop protecting your boy at the top there. Jon Jones, if he’s injured, get out the way, I’ll fight Stipe,” remarked Aspinall.

Also Read: Post UFC 295, Dana White Accused of Stalling Jon Jones vs. Francis Ngannou in Co-Promotion With PFL Despite Several Trials

It seems extremely unlikely that if Jones wins against Miocic, he will fight Aspinall. He is likely looking to fight the heavyweight GOAT and cement his legacy as the greatest mixed martial artist of all time. A loss to Aspinall, which is a possibility, would be the only real blemish on his record. If Miocic defeats Jones, however, he will be more amenable to fighting Aspinall.

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