It seems the Aspinalls have had enough of playing the waiting game.
Interim UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) is eager for a title unification bout with Jon Jones, but the matchup has yet to be finalized. Aspinall successfully defended his interim title with a swift TKO victory over Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 this past July. Meanwhile, Jones chose to make his first title defense against Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 in November.
Aspinall’s father, Andy, has voiced frustration over the lack of activity his son is facing while they wait for the Jones (28-1 MMA, 22-1 UFC) fight to be confirmed. According to him, the UFC appears intent on keeping Aspinall sidelined until a bout with Jones is arranged.
"It's just a massive pain in the ass, really,” Aspinall's father said. "Tom is just staying fit, and we're putting different things into his game and everybody's game that comes, but it would be really nice – because he's a fighter – to have a fight. He's had three fights that have lasted a minute apiece – the last three fights. It is what it is, but we could do with more fights. It's nice to train for somebody because otherwise, you just go to the gym every day and train. You like to go with a purpose.
"It's his living, and you need to be making money from your living, especially while you're fit and healthy, rather than sitting on your ass and turning up for training all the time. If I'm talking purely as a coach, I'm not getting paid because Tom's not getting paid. It's not just about money, it's about you want your fighters to have fights when they're fit to fight, and he's not having fights. It's frustrating, but what do you do?"
Aspinall acknowledges that the delay has given him time to recover from some physical issues he’s dealt with this year, but he emphasizes that he’s fully prepared to step into the cage as soon as a fight date is set.
"We want some fight news. That's what we're after," Aspinall said. "I'm training twice a day as always. I'm doing the physio, I'm doing the stretching, I'm recovering, I'm doing everything that an elite athlete does every day without the competition bit – and that part has nothing to do with me."
