Dana White issues blunt verdict on Tom Aspinall when talking about Jon Jones vs Stipe Miocic UFC title fight
Dana White has made his feelings on the UFC’s heavyweight title picture clear.
On July 27, the UFC boss watched interim champion Tom Aspinall defend his title with a 60-second knockout win over Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 in Manchester.
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Talk immediately turned to a unification fight with proper champion Jon Jones, but he is currently scheduled to face former two-time titleholder Stipe Miocic.
The MMA legends were supposed to meet in November 2023, but Jones got injured and was forced to withdraw from their UFC 295 main event.
They are expected to finally face off at UFC 309 on November 9, although White is yet to confirm an official date for the fight a large section of fans aren’t particularly interested in.
Miocic is 41 years old and hasn’t fought since losing the UFC heavyweight title when Francis Ngannou brutally KO'd him in March 2021.
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Many believe Aspinall should be getting the next shot at Jones, but his boss insists the Englishman still has some work to do if he wants to make that fight happen.
"What he did to Curtis Blaydes, the way he did it and how fast he did it, there is no doubt this guy is a scary dude and he looks like the future of the heavyweight division," White told MMA reporter .
"But at the same time, he's working his way up. He's climbing up the ladder.
“Everyone says, 'He deserves this, and he deserves that.' The dude doesn't deserve anything. He looks great and he looks like he's going to be the guy.
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"You have Stipe and Jon, who have paid their dues, they've been here forever, they've fought everybody, and they've fought everybody, they've fought all the fights you can possibly fight.
“These guys deserve to fight each other. Whoever wins that fight, I think they owe it to Aspinall to fight him and give him the opportunity that they've been given."
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Aspinall’s fight with Blaydes will most likely be his only one this year.
The 31-year-old will play a back-up role when Jones and Miocic clash, but if he’s not needed Aspinall claims he will wait on the sidelines for the winner.
“I'm gonna be the backup for the fight,” he told .
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“If one of them pulls out, you better believe I'm in. On an hour's notice if I need to.
“I should be the undisputed heavyweight champion. Everybody knows that now.
“My body of work over the last few years shows that I took out every contender that there is at this point, and I should be the UFC heavyweight champion.
“I'm the best heavyweight in the world and I'll wipe out both [Jones and Miocic] in one night if I need to.
"I'm fighting for the undisputed next. I'll fight anybody for the undisputed title, but I'm not fighting for the interim again."
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