Current UFC Heavyweight Champion Tom Aspinall made it unequivocal: in contrast to the increasing trend among MMA superstars joining boxing, he has absolutely no plans to do the same. “I won’t leave UFC for boxing,” Aspinall recently mentioned, quashing rumors regarding a possible crossover and reiterating his allegiance to the Octagon.
Tom Aspinall’s Rise and the Jon Jones Controversy
The discussion of Tom Aspinall is inevitably connected with one name Jon Jones, perhaps the all-time great mixed martial artist. Having dominated the light heavyweight division for years, Jones escalated to heavyweight, where he proceeded to devastate Ciryl Gane and Stipe Miocic to become the undisputed champion.
But when Aspinall became the next obvious challenger, Jones was hesitant to take it on. Despite Aspinall’s blistering ascent characterized by crushing finishes and quick knockouts Jones dismissed him.
“Tom hasn’t done anything spectacular in my opinion,” Jones said, fueling criticism throughout the MMA community.
$30 Million Offer Rejected by Jon Jones
Jones reportedly asked for a whopping $30 million (AED 110 million) from UFC President Dana White to take on Tom Aspinall. At first, White brushed him off, but later secured the funds to make the blockbuster fight happen. But much to fans’ and pundits’ shock, Jon Jones refused the offer and instead decided to retire.
It was taken by many as an evasive answer some branded it as arrogance, others as cowardice. Either term, the much-touted Tom Aspinall vs Jon Jones encounter vanished into thin air.
Aspinall Is Crowned UFC Heavyweight Champion
With Jon Jones walking away, Tom Aspinall was formally promoted to UFC Heavyweight Champion a designation that he will now defend in his fight against Ciryl Gane at UFC 321, set for October 26, 2025, in Abu Dhabi.
This fight is Aspinall’s maiden title defense and the potential game-changer for British MMA. He is just the third-ever British UFC Champion, after:
Michael Bisping (ex-Middleweight Champion)
Leon Edwards (current/ex-Welterweight Champion)
Tom Aspinall on the State of the Heavyweight Division
Tom Aspinall is humble despite the rapid rise. He takes in the politics and the drama of the heavyweight division but would rather let the performances speak for him.
All of Aspinall’s UFC fights being finished in less than two rounds speaks volumes he has technical talent, speed and knockout power that has earned him respect on an international level and building fan support.
Boxing Temptations? Never for Aspinall
In a time where UFC megastars such as Francis Ngannou, Nate Diaz, and Conor McGregor have dabbled (or fully switched to) boxing to collect huge paychecks, Tom Aspinall is not having it:
“I’m here for UFC gold, not boxing money. I’ve worked too hard to leave this sport now.”
His loyalty to the UFC, paired with his elite performances, is a breath of fresh air in a landscape increasingly dominated by spectacle over substance.
What’s Next for Tom Aspinall?
All attention is set to shift to UFC 321, where Tom Aspinall vs Ciryl Gane tops the bill in Abu Dhabi. A win might secure Aspinall as the undisputed king of the heavyweight division and possibly re-ignite speculation about a legacy-defining bout indeed, even re-start the interest of Jon Jones.
The ESQ&A Interview of Tom Aspinall (Credits- Esquire)
Do you feel smug or flattered knowing that the greatest fighter of all time retired from the sport in order not to fight you?
Tom Aspinall: I’d fight my own mother for $30 million! But that’s just me. Jon [Jones] is clearly in a financial situation where he can say ‘no’ to that kind of money. I hope I get into that position one day where I can turn down $30 million. At this point, I don’t care about him anymore, he’s permanently in my rearview mirror. I’ve been out of action for over a year through no fault of my own, so now I just want to get back in there and fight.
Your next opponent is Ciryl Gane. Two years ago Jones beat him in less than two minutes. Do you feel any need to beat him even quicker?
Absolutely not. Every fight is different and this fight has been simmering for some time. He’s the only guy left in the Top Five who I haven’t fought. Plus, I’m an English guy and he’s a French guy, and that rivalry goes back to the beginning of time!
There’s been several headlines lately hinting that you might leave the UFC after UFC 321 and swap over to boxing instead, simply because the pay is better. Any truth to that?
That’s my dad talking [Andy Aspinall is Tom’s head coach]. I have no interest in joining boxing, and I don’t want to leave the UFC anytime soon. There’s a lot of work for me to do here, and I plan on being here for a long time.
There’s a video from a few years back circulating the internet now of when you found out you’d just won a $50k bonus and you broke down in tears. What goes through your head when you see that now?
At that time specifically I’d already made a bit of money, but nothing to brag about. But that fight in particular, I knew that if I won a bonus I could buy a house. I have three children and a wife, and buying us all a house had been my goal for a long time. So when I found out I’d won the bonus, it was just such a relief. Although it’s not unusual for me to get emotional after fight, but I rarely do it in front of the cameras.
You’ve built a reputation for fights never seem to last long. Does it ever surprise you how quickly you get things done?
This may come as a surprise, but I really don’t walk in there thinking I’m gonna knock them out quickly. I prepare for every fight as if it’s going to last 25 minutes. But again, sometimes I’ll be thinking this punch is gonna finish him, and then it’ll hit him and he won’t blink. Other times I’ll throw, what I think, is a soft shot, and it’ll end the fight immediately. So I do tend to be pretty surprised when I end a fight so quickly.
Are you disappointed when fights are over ‘too quickly’?
Listen, if I can go the rest of my career and knock everyone out within the first 10 seconds of the fight I absolutely will.
Aside from your upcoming fight with Gane, you have run through the entire heavyweight division, and you’re still so young. Is there any other opponent that you think poses any threat to you?
I’m not the kind of guy who thinks yeah, I’m just gonna run through this guy. I actually really build my opponents up, that makes me respect them. If you don’t do that, you probably won’t be very successful in this sport in my opinion. There’s a fight on the undercard, Alexander Volkov vs Jailton Almeida. I’ve already beat Volkov, so Almeida would be interesting.
When you’re back in your hometown , do you get hounded by fans a lot?
Oh yeah. Constantly.
Do guys always come up to you asking, if not threatening, to fight you?
All the time.
How do you deal with situations like that?
At the end of the day, I am a human being. So if somebody gets in my face and wants to test me, naturally, I’m going to want to shut them up. But the worst of all is when people ask for a photo, want to ask about UFC stuff, and when I politely say ‘thank you, but can I go on with my night now?’ They’ll get all combative and stuff, like ‘What the hell, mate? I’m only asking for a picture, no need to be rude.’ That gets tiring after a while.
What will you do after you win on Saturday night?
Same thing I usually do: just eat pizza for 10 days straight.
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