If you’ve been comparing UFC heavyweight champ Tom Aspinall to Michael Chandler… think again.
England’s Aspinall claimed the UFC interim heavyweight title with a quick knockout of Russia’s Sergei Pavlovich in 2023. He has since defended that interim title once with an even faster KO of Curtis Blaydes, which further proved he’s one of the best fighters alive.
The only reason Aspinall has been fighting for the interim belt is because undisputed champ Jon Jones was focused on fighting the ghost of Stipe Miocic, which finally happened almost a year later exactly. Jones (who is in hot water again) won that fight by third-round TKO, which seemed to clear the way for a fight with Aspinall. Unfortunately, the American has swerved the matchup in every possible way since he beat Miocic.
The way Aspinall has been sitting around waiting for Jones has led some fans to compare him to former Bellator lightweight champ Michael Chandler. Chandler, who is closing in on 40, infamously wasted some of the best years of his career waiting around for Conor McGregor, who clearly has even less interest in fighting than Jones.
UFC champ Tom Aspinall not a fan of Michael Chandler comparisons
Aspinall is not a fan of those comparisons. And to be fair, his gripes are valid. He did, after all, defend his belt against Blaydes less than a year ago.
“I’ve seen a lot of people comparing me to Michael Chandler,” Aspinall told ESPN MMA. “[Chandler] waited a long time for Conor McGregor.
“I’m not waiting for one fight, Im not trying to fight one guy,” the UFC heavyweight champ added. “I’m trying to fight all the guys, and I’m trying to be the guy at heavyweight who takes out everybody. It doesn’t matter who it is, Ciryl Gane, Volkov rematch, Almeida, Derrick Lewis, Brock Lesnar. Whoever it is, I don’t care.
If you thought Aspinall was all talk, and that he’ll continue waiting for Jones, think again — again.
“Let’s not talk about Jon Jones anymore,” he said. “I’m the active guy. I’m gonna fight somebody, and that’s gonna be announced pretty soon.”
At this point, it’s still unclear who Tom Aspinall will fight next. However, it’s very clear Jon Jones is not interest in the fight — unless he’s orchestrating one of the most complex troll jobs of all time, in which case, we commend him, and can’t wait for the fight.
