Tom Aspinall knows all there is to know about the waiting game. The UFC interim heavyweight (heavy-wait?) champion has fought only once in the last 16 months. And who knows why? His obvious next opponent is Jon Jones, the sport’s GOAT. But Jones may or may not be thinking about tapping out and retiring at age 37. He may or may not be holding out for a bigger payday. He may or may not be thinning out and dropping to a different weight class.
For Aspinall, the frustration of waiting comes garnished with a side of humiliation. When Jones fought Stipe Miocic for the Heavyweight at Madison Square Garden last November, Aspinall was flown in as a standby in case one of the fighters was unable to compete. It’s always good to have a backup plan, of course. But the understudy is seldom the guy holding the belt. “It is what it is,” Aspinall said at the time, literally biting his tongue to avoid saying more and risking the wrath of the promotion that employs him.
