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Tom Aspinall just made his triumphant return to the octagon after a year away from active competition. After being sidelined by a freak knee injury suffered during his previous bout against Curtis Blaydes, many wondered which version of the Englishman fans would see in his comeback.
In the man's own words, it turned out to be a new and improved Aspinall. He faced Marcin Tybura at UFC Fight Night 224 just moments ago, and his performance was nothing short of spectacular. He won via first-round TKO in a manner reminiscent of another headline-stealing heavyweight: Sergei Pavlovich.
In his post-fight interview, Tom Aspinall made his intentions clear. He is aiming to dethrone Jon Jones. 'Bones' is currently scheduled to face Stipe Miocic, a matchup that hardly anyone is excited for due to his foe's age, inactivity and the fact that he is coming off a knockout loss to Francis Ngannou.
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But now, the new crop of heavyweights have openly challenged Jon Jones, whose plans to retire after potentially beating Stipe Miocic are now looking more ill-timed by the day. While ending his career with a win over Miocic was once sensible, now it would look cowardly.
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Jon Jones must avoid looking like he's fleeing from a bout against Aspinall and Pavlovich
While Jon Jones deserves credit for defeating Ciryl Gane as dominantly as he did, his win has still been subjected to more scrutiny than it would have had it come against anyone else. Gane's defensive wrestling and grappling were already called into question after he was outwrestled by a one-legged Francis Ngannou.
So it came as no surprise when Jones effortlessly grounded the former interim champion and scored a quick submission. In his post-fight interview, he called out Stipe Miocic for his first title defense, which raised eyebrows, as the former heavyweight champion will turn 41 this year.
Furthermore, he is coming off a brutal knockout loss to Francis Ngannou more than two years ago, and hasn't fought since. While the callout happened before Sergei Pavlovich's recent destruction of Curtis Blaydes, the fourth-ranked heavyweight in the world, the bout with Miocic wasn't yet made official.
But after calls from fans for him to face Pavlovich fell on deaf ears, he signed on to face Miocic at UFC 295. But, it made sense. Jones had nothing more to prove, Miocic would look good as a win on his record due to his status as the UFC heavyweight GOAT, and there was nothing for him in the top five.
There was only Pavlovich, as he had already beaten Gane, Blaydes had just lost to the Russian, Miocic was his target, and Aspinall was injured. But, now, the Englishman is no longer in recovery. Recently, UFC president Dana White expressed interest in booking a title bout between Tom Aspinall and Jon Jones.
Surely, now that Aspinall has not only returned, but defeated his foe with lightning-quick speed, he is on Jones' radar. There are now two heavyweights in the top five with stronger claims than Miocic. Pavlovich is on a six-fight win streak, all knockouts. Meanwhile, Tom Aspinall has just made a statement.
To face a soon-to-be 41-year-old coming off a loss after more than two years of inactivity will do Jones no favors in the eyes of those who will readily accuse him of looking for easy fights.
Tom Aspinall has laid out his plans
While Sergei Pavlovich sits quietly as the number one-ranked heavyweight on the roster, Tom Aspinall has detailed his title-challenging campaign. Days ago, he spoke about how the prospect of facing Jon Jones excites him. Now, that possibility seems closer than ever before.
In his octagon return, Tom Aspinall looked as fast as he's ever looked. He bounced back and forth with a grace and agility one would think impossible for a man of his size. He slammed a head kick through Marcin Tybura's guard with the speed of a whip, and his eye for counterpunches and boxing entries showed no signs of rust.
When Tybura tried to lunge forward, Aspinall intercepted him with an elbow which, even though partially blocked, stunned his foe. The Englishman followed up with a hard right straight that dropped the Polish 265-pounder. Aspinall pounced and the fight was waved off as a first-round TKO. It took him just a minute and 13 seconds.
In his post-fight interview, Tom Aspinall held the microphone with authority and told the world that his plan is to fly out to Paris, where Ciryl Gane will face Sergey Spivak at UFC on ESPN 53. He vowed to defeat the bout's winner, and then defeat Jon Jones for the heavyweight title.
If Aspinall does indeed defeat the winner of that matchup, and Jones beats Miocic as expected, he cannot retire with two hungry heavyweights on his heels. It will otherwise make it seem as if he's running from a challenge, especially if his last fight is Miocic, which most aren't excited for.
Some already accuse him of having avoided Ngannou, and only making his heavyweight debut after the Cameroonian knockout artist's departure. Avoiding Pavlovich in favor of Miocic is one thing, but if Aspinall makes good on his promise, Jones should defend his title against one of them.
