Tom Aspinall, the odd man out in UFC’s upcoming heavyweight title booking, might have a slim chance of actually unifying the division’s belts in November.
UFC CEO Dana White said Tuesday that interim champ Aspinall will serve as the backup for an upcoming clash between main champ Jon Jones and former titleholder Stipe Miocic.
If a fighter falls out of the November 16th pay-per-view fight from Madison Square Garden, Aspinall could be slotted into the matchup.
“Yes,” White said when asked if Aspinall would be an alternate for the fight. “Tom Aspinall is next in line for anything that happens in this fight.”
Aspinall’s reign as interim champ started nearly a year ago, being booked for a title fight after Jones suffered an injury and was pulled from a title fight against Miocic.
To keep the division moving despite the absence of Jones due to a torn pec, Aspinall was booked in a fight against Sergei Pavlovich for an interim title in late 2023. Aspinall made quick work of Pavlovich, beating in just 69 seconds.
Aspinall has since defended his title once, scoring another quick stoppage against Curtis Blaydes in July.
A year after Jones and Miocic were initially expected to meet, UFC remains persistent on booking the matchup instead of making a title unification. This leaves Aspinall time as the interim champ likely running into 2025, keeping the division with two champions concurrently. However, scheduled to be the alternate at UFC 309 in November, a last-minute change to the lineup could give him the fight he has long been waiting for.
