Interim heavyweight champion, Tom Aspinall has confirmed he will serve as the backup fighter to next month’s UFC 309 heavyweight title fight between rival, Jon Jones and the returning, Stipe Miocic, however, the former has teased a “big” return to action in the mean time.
Aspinall, an interim heavyweight champion under the banner of the promotion, most recently co-headlined UFC 304 at the end of July in his native Manchester, successfully avenging his sole promotional loss in a blistering first round knockout win over perennial contender, Curtis Blaydes in their interim title rematch.
And earlier this week, the Atherton native confirmed his status as the official backup fighter to next month’s headliner at UFC 309 between Jones and Miocic, questioning if his services on short-notice will even be required.
“Yes, it is official,” Tom Aspinall told Ariel Helwani for Uncrowned of his status as backup fighter at UFC 310. “I mean, Dana (White) announced it a while ago now, but I didn’t actually hear anything from the UFC. But now we’ve actually spoken, everything’s going good. We’ve come to an agreement about it, we know what’s happening going forward.”
We’ve got plans, we’ve got future fight plans, everything is right there,” Tom Aspinall explained. “It’s gonna be a good couple of years, let me tell you. Big plans, big, big, massive plans. My gut’s telling me [I won’t be needed], to be honest. Do I think it’s going to happen? Is it likely? In my opinion, probably not. But will I be ready? Absolutely.”
Tom Aspinall confirms “big news” discussed with UFC during recent meeting
And in a follow up video posted on social media, Aspinall once more doubted he would be required to compete for gold at UFC 309, however, teased some massive news regarding his own return to action soon.
“Yeah, I’m just training to be the backup fighter right now and getting myself fit,” Aspinall explained. “Do I think it’s going to happen? Probably not. But, I will be ready for it if it does. We’ve just spoke to the UFC and we’ve got some plans in place. I can’t reveal it right now obviously, because it’s a secret. But there is big news coming, soon.”
