Interim champion Tom Aspinall reportedly agreed to defend his title against Ciryl Gane at UFC 317, which is going to shake up the UFC heavyweight division. The highly anticipated unification bout with undisputed champion Jon Jones is, however, still delayed. UFC analyst Din Thomas said the promotion has convinced Aspinall to fight Gane after months of uncertainty about the division’s future.
Jon Jones' strategic delay raises concerns among the UFC fanbaseWhile Jon Jones has only had one title defence, the UFC heavyweight champion recently became the second-longest reigning heavyweight champion in UFC history, and it appears he is taking a calculated approach to a fight with Aspinall. Jones is gathering information about the British fighter, and Thomas claims that he is doing so deliberately before committing to the bout.
"He is a chess player, he is an intellectual chess player.” In an interview, Thomas explained that he's trying to gather as much information as he can on Tom Aspinall. "We haven't seen him in a lot of tough spots, we don't know how he's gonna respond to that, and I think Jon is probably waiting on that."
If Jon Jones keeps delaying the fight for six more months, many fans will feel that he would be undermining the fact that he would be surpassing Cain Velasquez as the longest reigning heavyweight champion in UFC history. That's because he would be doing so without having fought the division's most dangerous contenders.
It is the latest in a long line of negotiations that have failed to produce an interim champion, making it the longest in history all the way back to Tom Aspinall's record as the longest reigning interim champion in UFC history.
Andy Aspinall expresses frustration as UFC 317 card takes shapeThe delays have caused tension in the Aspinall camp, with Tom's father, Andy Aspinall, making his feelings known to the public. UFC President Dana White has previously been optimistic about a Jon Jones-Tom Aspinall showdown becoming a reality, but nothing has been announced officially.
The full card for UFC 317, which is scheduled for June 28, is not yet known and is expected to be a pay-per-view event, according to the reports. When the card is finalized, fans can watch the event live on ESPN+ pay-per-view.
The rumours of Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane fighting have also been corroborated by Chael Sonnen, who talked up the bout as something that has been talked about for some time, as the promotion tries to work out the complex negotiations with its heavyweight stars.
Also Read: Olympic Council of Asia announces the debut of MMA in the 2026 Asian Games
As the heavyweight division continues to evolve, this potential matchup between Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane represents both an exciting clash of styles and a stark reminder of the challenges in unifying the division's titles while Jon Jones remains selective about his opposition.
Jon Jones' strategic delay raises concerns among the UFC fanbaseWhile Jon Jones has only had one title defence, the UFC heavyweight champion recently became the second-longest reigning heavyweight champion in UFC history, and it appears he is taking a calculated approach to a fight with Aspinall. Jones is gathering information about the British fighter, and Thomas claims that he is doing so deliberately before committing to the bout.
"He is a chess player, he is an intellectual chess player.” In an interview, Thomas explained that he's trying to gather as much information as he can on Tom Aspinall. "We haven't seen him in a lot of tough spots, we don't know how he's gonna respond to that, and I think Jon is probably waiting on that."
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If Jon Jones keeps delaying the fight for six more months, many fans will feel that he would be undermining the fact that he would be surpassing Cain Velasquez as the longest reigning heavyweight champion in UFC history. That's because he would be doing so without having fought the division's most dangerous contenders.
It is the latest in a long line of negotiations that have failed to produce an interim champion, making it the longest in history all the way back to Tom Aspinall's record as the longest reigning interim champion in UFC history.
Andy Aspinall expresses frustration as UFC 317 card takes shapeThe delays have caused tension in the Aspinall camp, with Tom's father, Andy Aspinall, making his feelings known to the public. UFC President Dana White has previously been optimistic about a Jon Jones-Tom Aspinall showdown becoming a reality, but nothing has been announced officially.
The full card for UFC 317, which is scheduled for June 28, is not yet known and is expected to be a pay-per-view event, according to the reports. When the card is finalized, fans can watch the event live on ESPN+ pay-per-view.
The rumours of Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane fighting have also been corroborated by Chael Sonnen, who talked up the bout as something that has been talked about for some time, as the promotion tries to work out the complex negotiations with its heavyweight stars.
Also Read: Olympic Council of Asia announces the debut of MMA in the 2026 Asian Games
As the heavyweight division continues to evolve, this potential matchup between Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane represents both an exciting clash of styles and a stark reminder of the challenges in unifying the division's titles while Jon Jones remains selective about his opposition.
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