Tom Aspinall says Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic have to be his next opponents amid shrinking time window - "I’ve got years to fight these other guys"

Tom Aspinall has hopes of facing both UFC greats Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic before time is called on both of their legendary careers.

Aspinall won the interim heavyweight title at UFC 295 against Sergei Pavlovich after the initial headliner, Jones vs. Miocic, was canceled.

Jones tore his pectoral muscle in training a couple of weeks before fight night and is expected to be out for around eight months. Despite his lengthy recovery time, company CEO Dana White confirmed that Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic will still face-off next.

Tom Aspinall initially called for Jones to be stripped of his title, but has recanted his statement and now appears to be targeting a collision with Stipe Miocic while 'Bones' recovers from his injury.

During a recent interview with TNT Sports, he said:

"Right now, Jon Jones is unavailable. The other available guy who is ready to fight for the title is Stipe. I think it just makes the most sense... I'm aware that there's other contenders underneath me."

Tom Aspinall continued:

"The dispute I've got against that, with the [other contender], I'm gonna have years to fight them. I have just turned 30, I've got another 10 years in this sport. I'm not gonna have years to fight Jon Jones or Stipe. Them guys are right at the back-end of their career. I want them guys on my resume."

Watch the video below from 4:00:

---

Eddie Hearn responds to Tom Aspinall's comments about the state of boxing

Tom Aspinall recently described boxing as being in a "dangerous" position, during his recent appearance on talkSport. The Mancunian believes that the sport organizes too many mismatches, with promoters wanting to boost their fighters' records.

He also pointed to the fact that the best fighters in each division seldom fight each other in their primes, saying:

"You can look at an Eddie Hearn show, a Frank Warren show... Say there's 10 fights on, you can know at least 8 of the winners before the bell rings on any of the fights. I can't stand it. Just look at [Joshua and Wilder], we're talking about the top guys in the world. None of them are fighting each other."

Matchroom Boxing chairman and leading promoter Eddie Hearn responded to Aspinall's comments during a recent interview with ESBR Boxing:

"Tom Aspinall could enter boxing and make five times more money than he could ever make in the UFC. So it can't be in that bad a place... I think boxing's been in the best place it's ever been... The frustration in boxing of the best vs. the best. We don't have the benefit of fighter contracts like the UFC do."

Watch the video below (5:25):