Interim UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall doesn’t understand why the interim label isn’t being removed.
Aspinall knocked out Sergei Pavlovich in just 69 seconds in the co-main event of UFC 295 earlier this month to win the interim belt after Jon Jones suffered an injury and Jones’ first scheduled heavyweight title defense against Stipe Miocic was cancelled.
With the U.K. standout picking up such an impressive win, he believes he should be the actual champion, not Jones.
“I think Jon Jones should be stripped from the title, to be honest, because everyone else does when they get injured like that,” Aspinall told Michael Bisping on the former middleweight champ’s YouTube channel.
“I don’t see why he’s still got it, I don’t understand that. I should be the real champion right now.”
Following UFC 295, UFC CEO Dana White said the promotion’s plans for Jones haven’t changed despite what Aspinall accomplished, and that the current plan is to re-book the bout between Jones and Miocic.
Aspinall, like a lot of pundits in the MMA community, doesn’t understand why there’s a promotional desire to see Jones vs. Miocic after UFC 295.
“It’s hard to say without sounding rude, but who [is asking] about Jon Jones and Stipe anymore,” Aspinall asked. “Why do we get this legacy fight? And they get to live by their own rules? What’s a legacy fight — a retirement fight for a title? I want to fight Stipe and then I want to fight Jon Jones.
“I think all this other stuff is rubbish. Stop protecting him now, stop protecting your boy Jon Jones at the top. If he’s injured, get out of the way and I’ll fight Stipe.”
