CEO Dana White says the stakes couldn’t be higher for Tom Aspinall and Curtis Blaydes’ UFC 304 interim heavyweight title fight. The added emphasis comes now that he is promoting the winner to face Jon Jones or Stipe Miocic next. Tom Aspinall — No. 1 in the pecking order, puts his interim title to test this weekend.
Aspinall vs. Curtis Blaydes in a rematch from their UFC London main event in July 2022. It saw ‘Razor’ win a 15-second technical knockout, with the Brit tearing his ACL. Jon Jones, the reigning heavyweight champ, expects to face Miocic in UFC 309’s pay-per-view top bill this year. Will the winner of Saturday’s co-main event face the Jones vs. Miocic winner? White adamantly gave his nod:
Absolutely…[they will]
Dana White via Thursday’s UFC 304 Official pre-fight conference
Jones and Stipe Miocic have both teased that their legacy fight marks a home stretch. With a total reign of 588 days since UFC 241, Miocic has made his mark in the 265-pound division. At the tail-end of their performative years, ‘Bones’ teased a major payday and retirement after his HW maiden defense. ESPN SportsCentury project recently ranked the fighter #66 amid the ‘Top 100 athletes of 21st Century’ list.
With 15 title wins and an undefeated running stat for sixteen years, the Team Jackson’s Acoma MMA striker thinks he has his legacy set. Consequently, while an incumbent at HW, ‘Bones’ does not consider Aspinall to be a big enough name for him. Well. there’s no love lost, as the Brit represents the “real” HW guard for now.
Tom Aspinall confident he is defending ‘real’ heavyweight belt
Tom Aspinall snagged an interim title after Jon Jones went on the shelf with surgery last year. The said substitute belt will be on the line Saturday in the UFC 304 co-main event, where he meets Curtis Blaydes. Aspinall subtly hinted at unification chances; Jones, though, snubbed him rock hard! The HW division is in a logjam at the top while ‘Bones’ and Stipe Miocic make their return.
Jon Jones? Stipe Miocic? New blood Tom Aspinall says they are the real deal (Source: Instagram/UFC.go.com)The long delay made it rare for an interim champion to defend guard instead of having a unification fight next. The UFC 304 Official pre-fight conference interviews rolled in at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT; evening local time for the Atherton-born fighter. Instead of any further smack, the 31-year-old went into the night praising his opponent, a “real” hard-hitting 265lber.
Curtis, the guy’s good everywhere, I’m not underestimating this guy. This guy’s fu*king good…This is the fight between the two best heavyweights in the world — me and [gestures; Curtis]… This guy is fu*king legit.
Tom Aspinall at UFC 304 Official pre-fight conference; H/T: SBNation Network
Jon Jones has gone to ungodly lengths of tweet sprees and social tirades to justify snubbing Aspinall. The Brit, however, is dead set on his interim championship being the real HW championship now. With yesteryear’s champs inactive, even Blaydes said during Wednesday at UFC 304 media day that this is the actual title fight in the division featuring the top-2 guys.
As the fight draws near, it has been very damning that Jones has competed just once for a vacant undisputed gold – in the past four years. While White has stood his ground to make his legacy fight, even he now wants to move things forward for Blaydes and Aspinall.
