UFC’s Jon Jones Calls Out Tom Aspinall for ‘Inflated Ego’ After TikTok Video
Stipe #Stipe
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The battle of words between Jon Jones and UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall hit a new level on Tuesday.
Jones called out Aspinall for being entitled with an “inflated ego” amid a string of recent comments from the interim champ and that he still has unfinished business with Stipe Miocic.
Aspinall posted a TikTok video on Monday that showed him getting older as the years passed with the caption, “Waiting for Jon Jones like…”
Aspinall’s comments toward Jones date back to November when he felt Jones should have been stripped of the heavyweight title after withdrawing from his scheduled bout with Miocic at UFC 295.
“I think Jon Jones should be stripped from the title, to be honest, because everyone else does when they get injured like that,” Aspinall said on Michael Bisping’s YouTube show (h/t Amy Kaplan of FanSided MMA).
UFC president Dana White announced on Oct. 25 that Jones tore his pectoral muscle off the bone while training and would need surgery that’s expected to keep him out for eight months.
Aspinall vs. Sergei Pavlovich for the interim title was booked on the show since Jones was unable to compete. White said Miocic was never offered a spot in the bout because it would be disrespectful to ask him to challenge for an interim championship.
Miocic and Aspinall recently had a back-and-forth on social media about Miocic being next in line for Jones, even though Miocic hasn’t fought since losing to Francis Ngannou in March 2021.
From a business perspective, it makes sense UFC would want to save Miocic for Jones. If Miocic were to fight Aspinall and lose, the biggest-money heavyweight fight in the promotion would be stripped of all its luster.
Aspinallm who defeated Pavlovich via first-round knockout, does have a claim to be Jones’ next opponent since he is the interim champion right now.
But UFC is a pay-per-view business, and the fight that makes the most financial sense will almost always win out over what might make logical sense.
Regardless, it’s still going to be many months before Jones can step into the octagon again. Aspinall may not even have the interim heavyweight title by that point, though his next fight has yet to be announced.