Despite their current differences, UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones has always been a “hero” to Tom Aspinall.
Among the biggest MMA topics in 2025 to date has been the title saga at heavyweight, a division that has had two champions ruling it for 18 months.
Aspinall wants to fight Jones and unify the titles — that much is clear. The former light heavyweight champ, on the other hand, has repeatedly brushed off talk of a showdown with the Englishman.
Jones has been open in expressing an apparent dislike towards Aspinall. But that feeling is seemingly one-sided, with Aspinall holding admiration for a man he’s watched compete for over a decade.
In fact, the reigning interim titleholder once pinpointed one of Jones’ attributes in particular that he hopes to emulate.
Tom Aspinall once aspired to achieve Jon Jones-like level of confidence
In early 2023, Jones defeated Ciryl Gane to win the vacant heavyweight title in his long-awaited debut in the division.
Days before, Aspinall had assessed Jones’ impending arrival into his weight class in a column written for the BBC.
The British fan-favorite expressed admiration for ‘Bones,’ whom he went as far as to brand his “hero.”
With that in mind, Aspinall unsurprisingly saw a lot worth taking from Jones’ game, chief among them his rare level of self-belief.
“Jones is so free when he fights,” Aspinall wrote. “His fight IQ is far superior to anyone he’s ever faced.
“His confidence is off the scale and that’s what I’m trying to achieve myself, to have that confidence where you just know you’re miles better than everyone else. That’s what Jones has got.”
Fast forward to 2025 and Aspinall has cut a frustrated figure. The interim champ continues to question Jones’ avoidance of their unification fight in interviews.
All the while, Dana White insists that Jones vs. Aspinall will happen.
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Jon Jones’ latest update on fighting Tom Aspinall
Unfortunately for Aspinall and those wanting to see the two UFC heavyweight kings meet inside the cage, the latest update was not a positive one.
Jones recently appeared on social media to once again discuss his current position.
Despite White’s promise to fans, it appears that Jones is leaning towards retirement.
“I don’t know if I wanna call it retired, I feel like I’ll always have an ability to pop out and show em. I’ve had many breaks throughout my career, my identity outside of fighting is well intact. I’m genuinely enjoying life, I’m growing in different ways.”
Should Jones truly choose to depart the sport rather than fight Aspinall, it has been speculated that the Brit will instead fight Gane for undisputed status.