UFC 304 in Manchester official claims Tom Aspinall, shares update on opponent for hometown battle after interim heavyweight title win

Tom Aspinall has not returned to the octagon since capturing the interim heavyweight title with a first-round knockout victory against Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295 last November. He recently shared an update on his return while also providing news on the promotion's rumored return to Manchester.

In a video shared to his TikTok, Aspinall stated:

"Right, I’m just back from Vegas. I was over there doing YouTube stuff, meetings, and all of that stuff. I had a meeting with the UFC. It has now been confirmed that I am fighting on UFC Manchester. So, I’m back home preparing for that now. I’ve started the early stages of training camp. I’m just waiting for my opponent to accept [the fight]. So stay tuned, keep up with the socials, and keep up with the YouTube channel and I’ll be announcing it very soon."

Check out Tom Aspinall's comments on the UFC's return to Manchester below:

Aspinall had been angling for a fight with either Jon Jones or Stipe Miocic. However, both fighters and the promotion have repeatedly stated that the planned matchup between the two will continue as planned. Instead, the interim heavyweight champion will likely defend his belt against another heavyweight contender to solidify his position as the undisputed title's next challenger.

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Tom Aspinall accused Ciryl Gane of ducking a potential matchup

While Tom Aspinall was able to capture the interim heavyweight title at UFC 295, he almost didn't receive the opportunity to fight for the belt. Speaking to Ariel Helwani of The MMA Hour, he claimed that Ciryl Gane turned the opportunity down, stating:

"He's dismissed me on multiple occasions and I'm not the first guy that he's dismissed. I'm not the first guy that he's ducked. It's out there for people to see. The reason that I got the Pavlovich fight was because Ciryl didn't want it so he ducked Pavlovich. He then ducked Curtis Blaydes. Curtis Blaydes has been on record saying that."

He added:

"I asked for him, years ago, didn't want it then. Then when I asked for him in Paris, they flew me over, we tried to make that fight. He didn't want it then. And we'll see what the UFC wants to do."

Check out Tom Aspinall's comments on Ciryl Gane below:

Aspinall added that he likes Gane as a person. However, he does not like the way that 'Bon Gamin' conducts business. He did note, however, that he would accept the matchup if the No.2-ranked heavyweight is the opponent that the UFC wants him to face.