Tom Aspinall confirms backup role for Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic: “I’ll wipe out both in one night if I have to!”

UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall will be the backup for Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic.

The British fighter is fresh off his return late last month in Manchester. Just eight months after winning interim heavyweight gold against Sergei Pavlovich, Tom Aspinall faced Curtis Blaydes. ‘Razor’ had handed the interim champion a stoppage loss due to injury back in July 2022. However, the rematch couldn’t have gone any differently.

Instead, Tom Aspinall handed the wrestler a first-round knockout loss. Taking to the mic in his post-fight interview, the interim champion called for a fight with Jon Jones. ‘Bones’ has been out of action since a submission victory over Ciryl Gane last March, netting him the undisputed heavyweight title.

As of now, Jon Jones is set to face Stipe Miocic, likely in November at Madison Square Garden in New York. Meaning, that Tom Aspinall will have to wait quite a bit to fight ‘Bones’. At the UFC 304 post-fight press conference on Saturday night, Dana White stated that he hoped the British fighter would serve as the backup for Jones vs. Miocic.

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‘I’ll wipe out BOTH in one night if I have to!’ 👀

Tom Aspinall confirms he will be the backup for Jon Jones vs Stipe Miocic and insists he won’t be taking any more interim fights as he awaits his chance for undisputed gold 👇 pic.twitter.com/a5B1WQXfIu

— Sky Sports (@SkySports) August 2, 2024

UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall to be backup for Jon Jones’s return

It seems that Tom Aspinall is down that plan as well. Speaking in a recent interview with Sky Sports, the interim UFC heavyweight champion was asked about Dana White’s comments. There, Aspinall stated that he was more than happy being the backup fighter for Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic. He also has no problem fighting either man in November.

“I’m going to be the backup for the fight if one of them falls out.” Tom Aspinall stated in the interview, discussing Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic. “You better believe I’ll be in there on an hour’s notice if I need to. Yeah, I’ll take my opportunity while it’s there. I should be the undisputed heavyweight champion, everyone knows that now. It’s not just something I’m claiming off of one fluke victory.”

He continued, “My body of work over the last few years shows that. I’ve taken out every contender there is at this point. I should be the UFC heavyweight champion, undisputed. I’m the best heavyweight in the world, I’ll wipe out both in one night if I need to.”

What do you make of these comments from interim UFC champion Tom Aspinall? Are you excited for Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic?