Aspinall: UFC Heavyweight Division Needs Improvement

Photo: Instagram/Tom Aspinall

Tom Aspinall believes the UFC heavyweight division isn't in the best shape. He says a rematch with Curtis Blaydes is the "ideal fight" for him if he can't face champion Jon Jones. Aspinall and Blaydes last fought in July 2022, but the match ended after Aspinall suffered a serious knee injury just 15 seconds in.

Aspinall, 31, returned from that injury last November to win the interim title, with the reigning champion Jones sidelined. Aspinall told BBC Sport, "If I'm not fighting Jon Jones, this is the ideal fight for me... I want to put this behind me once and for all."

After a year-long recovery, Aspinall quickly defeated Marcin Tybura and then took a short-notice fight against Sergei Pavlovich to claim the interim belt. He has been pushing for a fight with Jones, but the 36-year-old champion plans to fight Stipe Miocic when he returns from injury. Ciryl Gane also reportedly turned down a fight with Aspinall.

Photo: Instagram/Tom Aspinall

"The state of the heavyweight division isn't great," Aspinall said. "I want to fight the best, and Jon Jones is considered one of the greatest. I'm going to keep pushing for that fight or for Jones to vacate the title."

UFC 304 will feature the Aspinall-Blaydes rematch as the co-main event on July 27 in Manchester. The main event will see Birmingham's Leon Edwards defending his welterweight title against Belal Muhammad. The event will run overnight to accommodate UK fans and the American pay-per-view audience, with Aspinall fighting around 4:00 AM and Edwards around 5:30 AM.

Edwards said, "It's going to be a weird one... If I'm the best in the world, I should be able to perform at 5 AM or 6 PM."

Read Next: Conor McGregor Offers Fresh Hope For UFC 303 Fight With Michael Chandler After Training Update

Source: BBC Sports 

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