Interim UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall had a front row seat to watch the triumphant return of his next potential opponent Jon Jones.
Tom Aspinall's eyes went wide when Jon Jones finished Stipe Miocic with a spinning back kick to the body in the UFC 309 main event.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Jones' first UFC heavyweight title defense couldn't have gone much better against Miocic at UFC 309. After dominating Miocic with speed and pressure through the first two rounds, Jones secured the victory by brutalizing Miocic's midsection with a spinning backkick that sent Madison Square Garden into a frenzy.
Aspinall, who starred as a backup for UFC 309, got a fantastic look at his next potential opponent at UFC 309. UFC CEO Dana White said after the event that Jones vs. Aspinall is “the fight to make,” as he possibly repeated. Aspinall in a backstage conversation.
Just seconds before Jones landed the finishing blows on Miocic, Aspinall called on the lineal titleholder to throw more kicks at his opponent. Although he likely didn't hear Aspinall in the Octagon, Jones complied with Aspinall's request and used body kicks to knock out Miocic.
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Tom Aspinall begged Jon Jones to throw more kicks just seconds before UFC 309 knockout
In his Octagon interview after the fight with Joe Rogan, Jones postponed his retirement and expressed his desire for a lucrative salary to fight again. White and the UFC matchmakers will meet with Jones in the coming weeks to discuss the UFC heavyweight champion's next move as they attempt to secure the Aspinall fight.
Aspinall will no longer defend the interim heavyweight title after knocking out Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304. He earned the interim heavyweight championship on short notice by finishing Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295 last year.
Aspinall's interim title victory came after Jones withdrew from UFC 295 due to injury. He was originally scheduled to face Miocic before suffering a torn pectoral tendon.
Jones won the then-vacant UFC heavyweight title by submitting Ciryl Gane at UFC 285. The finish came after Jones had been away from the Octagon for three years.
Photos by Ben Roberts Photo/Getty Images, Sarah Stier/Getty Images
Tom Aspinall vs. Jon Jones is at the top of the 2025 UFC fight wish list
White mentions Jones vs. Aspinall the biggest fight in UFC heavyweight history. To be fair, he said similar things about Jones vs. Francis Ngannou during Ngannou's promotional stint, but the dream fight never came to fruition.
Jones is arguably the greatest UFC fighter of all time after a legendary run in the Octagon. Before making the full-time move to heavyweight in 2020, Jones made himself a household name in multiple dominant titles at light heavyweight.
Aspinall is in the midst of his physical prime and some believe this is the toughest potential test for Jones in the Octagon. His only UFC blemish came via an injury stoppage against Blaydes in their first fight of 2022.
Aspinall's live reaction shows that he is not upset by Jones' strength and appearance. As 2025 approaches, fight fans can get their wish for one of the biggest fights in combat sports history.
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