During an appearance at the Arnold Sports Festival in Birmingham, England, on Saturday, Tom Aspinall finally had the opportunity to meet Jon Jones face-to-face for the first time.
The spontaneous encounter occurred while Jones was interacting with fans and taking photos. Aspinall approached Jones from the crowd, and a flurry of onlookers captured the moment as the two heavyweight fighters, respectively holding the interim and undisputed UFC titles, met.
Since winning the interim belt with a remarkable knockout of Sergei Pavlovich last year, Aspinall has been vocal about his desire to fight Jones. However, Jones, the reigning heavyweight champion, has been focused on recovering from a torn pectoral muscle and waiting for a chance to face Stipe Miocic.
Despite his previous callouts, Aspinall had toned down his pursuit of a fight with Jones. Nevertheless, he raised the possibility again when they encountered each other at the sports festival.
“Are we going to make this happen?” Aspinall asked Jones in a video posted on his YouTube channel.
“I would hope so,” Jones replied.
Aspinall then requested a photo, but Jones declined his request for a faceoff. Nonetheless, they posed for a few pictures together.
Overall, the encounter appeared relatively friendly, although Aspinall briefly placed his hand on Jones’ shoulder, which the MMA legend promptly brushed off. Despite the cordiality, it’s evident that Aspinall still harbors the desire to face Jones in the future.
“I would love to – respect,” Aspinall expressed to Jones. “I would love to have the honor one day.”
Jones responded, “Maybe one day.”
Jones also provided an update on his recovery, indicating that he is healing gradually as he works toward his anticipated return later this year. While there is no set timeline for his bout against Miocic, it is expected to take place before the end of the year.
Meanwhile, Aspinall remains committed to staying active and recently accepted a challenge from Curtis Blaydes, who defeated him in 2022 when he suffered a knee injury in the first round. Blaydes is coming off a second-round knockout victory over Jailton Almeida, but the UFC has not yet confirmed the matchup.
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