Tom Aspinall’s sights have switched from Jon Jones to one UFC heavyweight he’s long pushed to fight.
Aspinall spent a record time as interim champion, with his plans to achieve undisputed status in the division getting constantly delayed by Jon Jones.
It took 19 months for the heavyweight division to return to having one champion, and that didn’t come about due to a much-awaited unification fight between Jones and Aspinall.
Instead, Dana White announced Jones’ retirement this past Saturday, elevating the British heavyweight to the undisputed throne. That has now allowed him to move on and focus on the division’s crop of highly ranked contenders.
And while nothing is set in stone, things look to be trending toward one long-discussed matchup for Aspinall.
Tom Aspinall looking forward to giving Ciryl Gane a ‘beating’
After confirmation of Jones’ controversial retirement, talk quickly turned to who Aspinall will likely defend the title against almost a year on from his victory over Curtis Blaydes to retain the interim belt.
Three names appear to be in contention: Ciryl Gane, Jailton Almeida, and Alexander Volkov. The French former interim champ looks to be the most likely candidate.
That seems to be music to the ears of Aspinall, who has been looking to make ‘Bon Gamin’ pay for rejecting his callouts a couple of years ago.
“I’ve actually fought a lot of the top 10,” Aspinall said on the Diary of a CEO podcast. “One of the guys I’ve not fought is Ciryl Gane, a French guy.
“I was actually chasing that fight a few times before. He was ducking and diving around himself a little bit. He is due a little bit of a beating off me. I look forward to that.
“There’s a couple more guys down the rankings, a Brazilian guy, Jailton Almeida, I’ve not fought,” Aspinall added. “There’s a guy I’ve already beat called Alexander Volkov who’s doing really well for himself as well.”
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Ciryl Gane says negotiations for Tom Aspinall fight are underway
Speculation over the Aspinall vs. Gane matchup got boosted by recent comments from the potential challenger.
During an appearance on UFC Unfiltered, the French star revealed his manager has already had positive talks with the UFC over his first championship fight since Gane’s crushing loss to Jon Jones in March 2023.
“My manager talked to the matchmaking, with Hunter (Campbell). I know they’re working on it this week, and we can keep in touch. Nothing is fixed yet, we’re just waiting for more discussions and maybe a location and date. We are really confident of this fight happening.”
That news will likely be disappointing for Volkov, whom many believe deserved to get the judges’ nod instead of Gane in their fight at UFC 310 last December.