Tom Aspinall knows who he wants his first interim UFC heavyweight title defense to come against.

UFC 295 took a shocking late hit in its build-up earlier this month. The all-time great Jon Jones was set to make his first title defense as the undisputed UFC heavyweight title holder. Previously matched with arguably the greatest heavyweight of all-time Stipe Miocic, “Bones,” unfortunately, was forced out of the bout after he suffered a torn pectoral muscle. The legend is now expected to be sidelined for roughly eight months.

The co-main event was shifted to Aspinall vs. his fellow top contender Sergei Pavlovich with Jones out and Miocic in limbo. UFC CEO Dana White has remained persistent that Jones vs. Miocic will be rebooked despite a new interim champion in Aspinall being crowned via a 69-second knockout at UFC 295. However, the 30-year-old British superstar believes there’s nothing more fitting than a showdown with Miocic as his first defense while Jones heals.

“Stipe was ready to go two weeks ago when he was supposed to fight Jon Jones, who else am I gonna fight at this point?” Aspinall told The Mac Life. “Jon Jones is injured, what else is knocking around at the moment that makes sense?

“Ciryl [Gane] and [Jailton] Almeida should fight. I stick with that. I’ll fight the winner, but I believe they’re both good fighters, obviously, but I think I’m more interested in Stipe right now.”

A minor rivalry could be building between Aspinall and Gane after the Frenchman voiced his interest in the new champion after the triumphant title victory. When Gane recently rebounded with a big win over Serghei Spivac in September, Aspinall made the call for Gane but received a lack of interest from “Bon Gamin.” Either way, the win for Gane got him back in the win column after losing his vacant title bid against Jones at UFC 285 this past March.

As for Miocic, the former two-time champion hasn’t fought since dropping his title by knockout against Francis Ngannou at UFC 260 in March 2021. Even though Miocic, 41, has been inactive in recent years, it hasn’t stopped the likes of Jones, and now Aspinall, from seeing the potential excitement in the clash.

“It would be epic,” Aspinall said of a Miocic fight. “Stipe is one of my favorite fighters ever. I believe he’s the best heavyweight ever and I want to see what it feels like stepping in the octagon with the best heavyweight ever and I want to experience that before I retire, which is gonna be ages away, but more importantly, before he retires which is in the not too distant future.

“It makes complete sense. I don’t know why anyone would dispute that. He’s free, I’m free, Jones is injured, I’ve got an interim title now, so why not? For Stipe, it’s an absolute must-win, isn’t it? If he gets knocked out, he’s getting knocked out against a young guy who’s already a champion. If he wins, it might [help] generate the hype between Jon and him.”

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VIDEO STEW

Free fight.

RIZIN 45 Trailer.

Full fight.

Full (bare-knuckle) fight.

Volk’s first spar.

Conor padwork.

Paddy fight camp.

Fancy triangle from Kimura trap.

At-home full-body workout with Wonderboy.

Arnold Q&A.

MORNING MUSIC

SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE

Beef.

Poster.

New fights.

Nasty.

Paid.

Tiny Tofiq.

Stats.

Sick.

Under pressure.

Judo.

Hit 'em with the obliterater.

All flash, no smash.

Smart.

Response.

Worlds collide.

She's on a boat.

Beatdown.

Happens (no, no it doesn’t).

FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Anthony Smith (37-18) vs. Khalil Rountree (13-5, 1 NC); UFC Vegas 83, Dec. 9

Seika Izawa (11-0) vs. Miyuu Yamamoto (6-7); RIZIN 45, Dec. 31

Kota Miura () vs. Koji “Kouzi” Tanaka (0-0); RIZIN 45, Dec. 31

Satoshi “Dominator” Yamasu (13-7) vs. Suguru Nii (16-12); RIZIN 45, Dec. 31

Igor Tanabe (4-0) vs. Shinsho Anzai (9-5); RIZIN 45, Dec. 31

Loma Lookboonmee (8-3) vs. Bruna Brasil (9-3-1); UFC Vegas 86, Feb. 10

Blake Bilder (8-1-1) vs. JeongYong Lee (10-1); UFC Vegas 85, Feb. 3

FINAL THOUGHTS

Aspinall’s logic is sound to the extent of if Miocic beats him. It’s obviously just a massive risk for Miocic regarding his possible Jones matchup... which is why it won’t happen because that’s a very likely outcome. What a weird time for heavyweight.

Thanks for reading!

POLL POSITION

Last Week’s Results:

Friday: 54% of 504 total votes answered "Leon Edwards" when asked, "Who do you prefer to start 2024 as the UFC welterweight champion?"

Thursday: 75% of 391 total votes answered "Yes" when asked, "Is Ilia Topuria overlooking Alexander Volkanovski?"

Wednesday: 76% of 394 total votes answered "No" when asked, "Will you be watching the 2023 PFL Championship on Black Friday?"

Tuesday: 37% of 467 total votes answered "Marvin Vettori" when asked, "Who should Brendan Allen fight next?"

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Today’s exit poll:

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