Tom Aspinall reveals how close heavyweight championship fight against Jon Jones was to fruition - 'I was told it was happening'

Tom Aspinall will make his long-awaited return to the Octagon in October as he fights Ciryl Gane at UFC 321. Aspinall has not fought since July 2024 and revealed that there were several occasions when he thought he would face Jon Jones, but the fight never came off. Aspinall said there is "a lot of pressure" ahead of facing Gane but believes he has improved plenty since his last fight.

'There's pressure on both of us' - Aspinall on his preparations ahead Gane title defence at UFC 321

Video credit: TNT Sports

Tom Aspinall says he made "massive improvements" over the last year as he continued to train for a fight with UFC great Jon Jones that never materialised.

Aspinall held out and pushed for a fight against Jones but the 38-year-old decided instead to retire from the sport.

The decision means Aspinall has not fought since beating Curtis Blaydes in July 2024.

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Ahead of his return to the Octagon against Ciryl Gane at UFC 321 on October 25, Aspinall said he has not just been sitting around and waiting.

"There was a lot of time when the UFC would tell me the Jon Jones fight is happening in three months for example, so we would start training camp, the intensity would up, and then the date would get moved. That happened three or four times, then eventually he retired," he told TNT Sports.

"So it wasn’t like I was literally sat waiting for the full year, I did think the fight was going to come.

"Everyone is saying, 'why are you waiting?' I wasn’t waiting. I was getting told it was happening, so there was nothing I could do. My hands were tied by the UFC.

"What it has given me is a massive opportunity to get better. Because I am not just training without a goal, I did think a few times I had a goal I was working towards and it didn’t materialise. So I did have the intensity of a training camp, the hard sparring, the hard grapples, strength conditioning, technical work.

"My improvement in the last year has been massive and I can’t wait to go out there and show it."

Aspinall was upgraded to heavyweight champion when Jones retired and vacated his belt.

The Brit had spent 19 months as interim champion but will now make the first defence of his undisputed heavyweight title against Gane.

Asked whether he is feeling pressure ahead of the fight, Aspinall said: "Absolutely. But there are certain types of athletes and people, those that pressure wears down and those that shine under pressure, and I am 100% part of the latter.

"That being said, it’s not just me under pressure, it’s his third title shot and he failed the first two. There is a lot of pressure on both of us.

"I can’t speak for the rest of the fighters but I don't want to get battered in front of millions of people, that’s the biggest pressure for me. Titles, rankings, statistics aside, I don’t want to get beat up in front of millions of people."

'A beautiful match-up' - Gane looking forward to UFC 321 title bout with Aspinall

Video credit: TNT Sports

Gane has twice come up short in his two title fights, losing against Francis Ngannou in 2022, and then against Jones in 2023.

He was last in action in December when he beat Alexander Volkov by split decision and said he has learned from his two previous title-fight experiences.

"Everything, the press conferences, the media, it’s heavy for the fighter," said Gane. "I remember against Francis it was so heavy, it was not easy. You have to be prepared for that. I remember for Jon Jones it was easier."

On Aspinall, he added: "He’s a tough guy, a really good fighter, I am also a good fighter, so it’s going to be a beautiful match-up. I cannot wait, I am really excited about this challenge."

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