Jones vs Aspinall should be the next UFC heavyweight title fight. Despite this, Jon Jones has doubled down on wanting to fight Stipe Miocic next, dismissing Aspinall’s ‘hype train’. Considering that Miocic hasn’t fought in several years and suffered a brutal KO defeat in his last fight, Jones’ words aren’t convincing. It’s also worth mentioning that Tom Aspinall is the UFC interim heavyweight champion, so he’s earned his shot at the undisputed title. Let’s dive deeper into why Jones vs. Aspinall should be the next fight for the undisputed UFC heavyweight title.

Jones vs Aspinall: Stipe Miocic is 41 Years Old and Coming Off a KO Loss

There should be little debate that Stipe Miocic is the greatest heavyweight in UFC history. Miocic defended the UFC heavyweight title a record three times before losing it in his first fight with Daniel Cormier. Miocic regained the title in his rematch with Cormier, stunning Cormier with a late TKO win in the fourth round. Considering this, Miocic’s UFC heavyweight legacy is undeniable.

However, Miocic hasn’t won a UFC fight since August 2020 when he beat Daniel Cormier in their trilogy bout by decision. Francis Ngannou knocked out Miocic in March 2021 to become the new UFC heavyweight champion. Miocic has not fought since that loss.

Stipe Miocic is 41 years old and far past his prime. With all due respect, he doesn’t have much chance against Jon Jones at this point in his career. A fight with Miocic is favorable for Jones, but it doesn’t answer the question of who the best heavyweight in the UFC is right now.

Tom Aspinall Is the Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion

Tom Aspinall knocked out Sergei Pavlovich in the first round to become the UFC interim heavyweight champion. Aspinall has beaten all of the top UFC heavyweight contenders he has faced, aside from Curtis Blaydes when Aspinall suffered a freak knee injury. It is clear that Aspinall is the right man to test Jones’ heavyweight credentials. Winning the interim belt should have guaranteed Aspinall a shot at Jones for the undisputed UFC heavyweight title.

Tom Aspinall Poses a Threat to Jon Jones

Unlike Stipe Miocic, Tom Aspinall poses a serious threat to Jon Jones’ status as the UFC heavyweight champion. Any UFC pay-per-view featuring Jon Jones in a title fight will sell relatively well, given Jones’ large fanbase. Still, it’d be much more interesting to see Jones defend his title against a young, dangerous, well-rounded contender like Tom Aspinall than it would to see Jones fight an old Stipe Miocic.

Jones vs Aspinall Will Likely Never Happen

The unfortunate reality is that Jones vs Aspinall is unlikely to ever happen. Jon Jones has stated that he might hang up his gloves and retire after fighting Stipe Miocic if he wins that fight and successfully defends his heavyweight title. This is unfortunate. The most likely scenario is that both Jones and Miocic retire after their fight and the UFC promotes Tom Aspinall to undisputed heavyweight champion following that.

Aspinall has made it clear he wants to test himself against Jon Jones, but it seems like Jones doesn’t feel the same way about a fight with Aspinall. In any case, a new era of the UFC heavyweight division will begin soon either way.