Tom Aspinall Says Jon Jones “Crossed His Fingers” He Wouldn’t Win at UFC 304
Interim UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall thinks Jon Jones had a significant rooting interest in his UFC 304 co-main event bout.
Aspinall made quick work of Curtis Blaydes as he successfully defended his interim belt at UFC 304. Just a minute into the first round, Aspinall swarmed Blaydes with a barrage of punches that forced the referee to stop the action.
Aspinall now awaits the winner of the expected Jones vs. Stipe Miocic fight to challenge for the lineal UFC heavyweight championship. After earning the interim belt at UFC 295, he became the first UFC fighter since 2013 to defend an interim title.
Aspinall has called for a mammoth clash with Jones for months, ever since Jones earned the then-vacant heavyweight title at UFC 285. After his performance at UFC 304, Aspinall feels he made Jones think twice about potentially booking a future fight.
Tom Aspinall eyes Jon Jones after UFC 304 statement win
During the UFC 304 post-fight press conference, Aspinall turned his attention to a potential clash with Jones.
“Jon’s the undisputed champion, but I’m the best in the world, if that makes any sense,” Aspinall said. “We know what Jon’s doing. Jon was there, crossing his fingers and toes tonight hoping I’d lose to Curtis, let’s not bull***t about it. He posted about it loads anyway that I’m going to lose to him. That didn’t happen, so that’s the fight I want next…
“He’ll be very angry about it or the fact that everyone’s saying that I can beat him, but that’s OK,” Aspinall continued. “On the contrary to what Jon Jones fanboys might think, I have nothing against Jon Jones as a person. I think I’m the best heavyweight in the world and if he thinks he’s the best heavyweight in the world, let’s settle it. Simple as that. It’s not rocket science. There’s two guys who are claiming to be the best heavyweight in the world. Let’s settle it, simple as that.” (h/t MMA Fighting)
Aspinall has won three consecutive fights since an injury stoppage loss to Blaydes in 2022. He made his comeback in 2023 with back-to-back finishes over Marcin Tybura and Sergei Pavlovich.
Jones is rumored to make his return against Miocic at the UFC’s November pay-per-view event in New York City. As of this writing, the promotion hasn’t formally announced nor booked the UFC Hall of Famer’s return.
While Aspinall doesn’t believe Jones is outright scared of him, he thinks the heavyweight champion had a preferred winner in mind at UFC 304, and the UK star ruined his hopes emphatically.
