Tom Aspinall would love to lace up the boxing gloves if he’s forced to wait for Jon Jones to come back.
Aspinall (14-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) captured the interim heavyweight title by knocking out Pavlovich at UFC 295, but will have to wait for heavyweight champion Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) to defend his belt against Stipe Miocic in 2024 before unifying the belts.
Aspinall called for Jones to vacate his belt so he can keep the division moving, since Jones is expected to be sidelined for at least eight months after needing surgery for a torn pectoral muscle. With that option unlikely, Aspinall suggests he compete in boxing in the meantime.
“I want to be active. I’m healthy,” Aspinall said in an interview with Fight Disciples about boxing. “I’ll absolutely do that. If I can pass that with the UFC, I’ll do that. I think it’s a good idea. I like it – I like it a lot.
“If they want me to do it, 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. Everything’s been good. I’m in a really good spot right now. Let’s keep it going – keep it moving.”
Aspinall thinks he should fight Stipe Miocic instead, then the winner face Jones when he comes back.
“I don’t want to be waiting around for Jon Jones,” Aspinall said. “Who knows if he’s going to come back or not? He doesn’t know. Nobody knows. So let’s not hold the division up with that. Let me fight Stipe or I’ll fight another contender, or if possible, we’ll do one of them (boxing). That’s a great idea.”
