Tom Aspinall, the UFC interim heavyweight champion, is open to the idea of boxing if he cannot secure a fight with Jon Jones.

Aspinall’s confidence is riding high following his win over Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295. The MMA fighter put on a remarkable performance to stop his opponent in the first round. The win was all the more remarkable given that Aspinall had taken the fight on short notice after the headline event of Jones vs. Stipe Miocic was called off. Bones pulled out of the fight after he had injured his pectoral muscle in sparring, which required surgery that will keep him out until sometime in 2024.

With that being said, Aspinall has stated his belief that Jones should be stripped of his title, given that his injury is holding up the division. Not only that, but Aspinall made it clear that his aim was to take on Miocic and then Jones upon his return from injury. But if the Brit cannot stay active and secure those big fights, then Aspinall was keen on getting a boxing fight instead.

Aspinall On Boxing

"Let’s do it. I want to be active in MMA, I’m healthy. Absolutely I’ll do that, if I can get that past the UFC, I’ll do that. That’s why I think it’s a good idea, I like it, I like it a lot. I’ll do that. I’ll do that, if they want me to do that, I’ll do it. But I want to be active.

"I had a year off with the knee injury and stuff. I’ve come back, if I do say so myself, I’ve looked pretty good in my two since then. I’m in a really good spot right now, let’s keep it moving. I don’t want to be waiting around for Jon Jones. Who knows if he’s going to come back or not?… I’ll fight another contender, or we’ll do one of them. That’s a great idea," Aspinall stated

Next Steps

This naturally begs the question: Who would Aspinall face? As of now, the MMA fighter’s experience in boxing has come at the hands of sparring Tyson Fury. Aspinall had been helping the Gypsy King prepare for his fight with Francis Ngannou. The latter had shown that he was capable of hanging in with the WBC heavyweight champion as he dropped Fury in the third round. Although Ngannou did lose out on a split decision, he had shown that it was possible for MMA fighters to put on a competitive performance.

Therefore, moving ahead, he could follow the same blueprint by trying to secure a fight with another big heavyweight such as Deontay Wilder. The Bronze Bomber made it clear that he was willing to face Ngannou in a two-fight deal, which included boxing and MMA. And given that Aspinall is willing to box, the same could apply here. But in order to do that, the heavyweight must continue winning to broaden his appeal. And there is no getting away from that.

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