Tom Aspinall has been eagerly seeking a fight with Jon Jones since he recovered from an injury in 2022. However, ‘Bones’ has shifted his focus toward Alex Pereira, further aggravating the UFC interim heavyweight champion. This tension surfaced on X/Twitter last Friday, May 3.
While interacting with fans online, the reigning UFC heavyweight champion hinted that a match against Pereira might draw bigger interest, particularly after the Brazilian’s impressive win at UFC 300. This comment prompted Aspinall to express his frustration, as Jones’ latest preference seems to sideline him.
The conversation about a potential Jones vs. Pereira fight gained traction following Pereira’s victory over Jamahal Hill at UFC 300, where he defended his light heavyweight title. In his post-fight interview, Pereira suggested stepping up to heavyweight, a move UFC President Dana White seemed somewhat reluctant to embrace.
Despite White’s reservations, Jones now appears keen on facing Pereira for his next title defense, assuming he defeats Stipe Miocic as anticipated. This potential matchup places Pereira in a favorable spot but leaves Aspinall out in the cold, creating confusion around his status as interim champion.
Traditionally, an interim champion like Aspinall would be expected to unify his title with the undisputed champion, Jones. Despite Aspinall’s growing prominence, Jones has remarked that Aspinall doesn’t yet carry sufficient star power, even amid widespread fan support for the fight.
The path forward for Aspinall remains unclear, but he is likely to feature in the main event at UFC 304, potentially facing Curtis Blaydes, a fighter who previously defeated him via TKO after Aspinall sustained an injury.
https://t.co/d1mmdmMzf2 pic.twitter.com/etbj7TQBJV
— Tom Aspinall (@AspinallMMA) May 3, 2024
This is not the first time Aspinall has voiced his frustration with Jones on social media. Ever since Jones won the vacant heavyweight title against Ciryl Gane, Aspinall has been vocal about his desire to challenge ‘Bones’.
Even after claiming the interim heavyweight title, Aspinall found himself dismissed by Jones, leading to several heated exchanges on social media where Jones minimized Aspinall’s achievements and Aspinall criticized Jones for opting to fight an arguably past-his-prime Stipe Miocic.
