Why I Refuse to Wait for Jon Jones – Take Charge of Your Own Destiny

Tom Aspinall is considering lacing up the boxing gloves if he has to wait for Jon Jones to return.

Aspinall (14-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) secured the interim heavyweight title by defeating Pavlovich at UFC 295, but will have to wait for heavyweight champion Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) to defend his belt against Stipe Miocic in 2024 before unifying the belts.

Aspinall has urged Jones to vacate his belt to keep the division active, as Jones is expected to be sidelined for at least eight months due to surgery for a torn pectoral muscle. In the meantime, Aspinall suggests competing in boxing.

“I want to be active. I’m healthy,” Aspinall said in an interview with Fight Disciples about boxing. “I’ll absolutely do that. If I can pass that with the UFC, I’ll do that. I think it’s a good idea. I like it – I like it a lot.

“If they want me to do it, I’ll do it. But I want to be active. I had a year off with the knee injury and stuff. I’ve come back. If I do say so myself, I’ve looked pretty good in my two since then. Everything’s been good. I’m in a really good spot right now. Let’s keep it going – keep it moving.”

Aspinall believes he should fight Stipe Miocic first, and then the winner will face Jones when he returns.

“I don’t want to be waiting around for Jon Jones,” Aspinall said. “Who knows if he’s going to come back or not? He doesn’t know. Nobody knows. So let’s not hold the division up with that. Let me fight Stipe or I’ll fight another contender, or if possible, we’ll do one of them (boxing). That’s a great idea.”

Story originally appeared on MMA Junkie