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It looks like interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall will finally get what he's been asking for for the past year. The UFC has confirmed that a fight between him and Jon Jones will take place in 2025 to unify the heavyweight titles.
Dana White has long avoided giving direct answers to frequent journalistic questions, but he did not hide his excitement after confirming the match.
"I think it's probably the biggest fight in the history of the heavyweight division, and it's a huge event in the history of the company," the UFC president said.
Negotiations for a potential match between Tom Aspinall and Jon Jones are still ongoing, with no official confirmation of a date for the fight. Jones has yet to sign terms, while Aspinall is ready to sign a contract.
JJ has been trying to delay the clash since last summer to achieve better financial terms, which, according to some, has negatively affected his reputation, suggesting that he is avoiding a match with Tom. Curtis Blaydes is of a similar opinion, and he doesn't believe the fight will even happen.
"This is all Jones's fault; he's the one holding back the whole story. I do believe, even if he's not afraid, that he accepts that he's older and slower and that it's getting harder for him to recover from all the bruises and stuff," Blaydes told Home of Fight.
Undisputed champion JJ is certainly not at the level he was ten years ago; fatigue has caught up with him, and he admitted that a match against the young Briton is very risky. At the time, he was counting on Pereira to beat Ankalaev so that he could perform with an opponent of similar age, stating several times that Aspinall had nothing to offer him.
However, the organization has decided to pay Jones what he is asking to organize this big HW match, so now it is up to him to sign a contract without the right to comment on the profitability of this event.
Tom is the GSP of the heavyweight division
Many consider Aspinall to be the favorite in this event, and given his age, it is not surprising. UFC commentator Michael Bisping also believes that the young Englishman will end an era in the UFC and start a new wave.
‘‘Tom is a new generation, a new breed; he will probably be the best fighter we have ever had. He is an elite heavyweight. He is like the GSP of the HW division,’’ Bisping told Carl Froch.
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