"That happened like 3-4 times"- Tom Aspinall says UFC kept dangling Jon Jones fight, left him stuck in scrapped training camps

Tom Aspinall’s recent run has been shaped by uncertainty while he was chasing a fight with Jon Jones.

The UK fighter recently revealed that on several occasions, the UFC informed him that a fight with Jones was confirmed. Each time, he committed to a full camp only to have the matchup fall apart before it reached the cage.

By his count, he went through three or four full training cycles with no confirmed opponent. For a fighter at the highest level, where camps require financial investment, travel and sparring partners, that disruption was significant. Speaking in a recent interview with TNT Sports, Aspinall said:

"I mean, that isn’t entirely accurate [that he didn't have an opponent for a long period]... There were a lot of times when the UFC would tell me, ‘Right, the Jon Jones fight is happening in three months’ for example. So we’d start the training camp, the intensity would go up and then the date would get moved. That happened like three or four times, and then eventually he retired. So it wasn’t like I was literally sat waiting for the full year, I did think the fight was going to come."

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He added:

“Everyone was saying ‘Why are you waiting?’ I wasn’t waiting, I was getting told that the fight was happening, so there was nothing I could really do, my hands were completely tied by the UFC."

Check out Tom Aspinall's comments below:

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Tom Aspinall focused solely on Ciryl Gane at UFC 321, says Jon Jones is retired

Tom Aspinall is leaving the Jon Jones saga in the past and putting his full attention on Ciryl Gane. The heavyweight champion meets Gane in the main event of UFC 321 on Oct. 25 in Abu Dhabi.

With Jones retired and Aspinall elevated to undisputed status, the matchup with Gane represents the next chapter. Speaking at the UFC 321 press conference, Aspinall said:

“Ciryl’s the guy I’m fighting, so he’s the biggest test right now... Jon Jones is retired, so I don’t really have much to say on that, to be honest. I’m fighting this guy and this guy’s really good, so I’ll be as ready as I can be.”

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Edited by Abhishek Nambiar