After being passed over for a title matchup against Jon Jones, Tom Aspinall, the interim UFC Heavyweight Champion, expressed his agitation. In 2024, Stipe will challenge Jones for the Undisputed Heavyweight Championship, a bout that Tom is not pleased about.
Despite Tom’s efforts to advocate for scrapping the matchup, it’s understandable that these sentiments stem from his frustration. Even though some fans may not agree with Tom, the majority express their desire to witness the Stipe vs. Jones matchup in 2024, which was initially supposed to be the main event of the UFC 295 card.
Did Tom Aspinall provide correct timeline of Stipe Miocic fight?
Expressing his disappointment with the Stipe vs. Jones bout for the Undisputed Heavyweight Championship, Tom Aspinall took to Twitter to share some facts about Miocic’s career. According to Tom, the last time Stipe won a fight was in the year 2004, coinciding with the release of GTA: San Andreas on PS2. This was a considerable time ago, and Miocic hadn’t even made his professional MMA debut at that point.
Last time Stipe fought and won, GTA: San Andreas had just come out on PS2. He will fight next for the undisputed heavyweight title, ahead of me, who’s the interim champ, active and ranked #1 in the world right now. This makes me quite upset
— Tom Aspinall (@AspinallMMA) January 4, 2024
In reality Stipe Miocic, was seen in action against Francis Ngannou in 2021 where he had suffered a defeat by KO. His last victory came against Daniel Cormier in 2020, where he won the bout by unanimous decision.
Fans urge Tom Aspinall to “stop crying about” Stipe Miocic
Stipe Miocic, currently ranks #4 in UFC Heavyweight rankings and is 41-years-old. He was set to fight Jones in the main event of UFC 295 but Jones pulled out of the fight after suffering a pectoral muscle tear in his training.
Dana announced that the fight will be rebooked in 2024 for the UFC Heavyweight title. After the title bout got cancelled, Tom Aspinall became the interim Heavyweight Champ by knocking out Sergei Pavlovich in the first round of the co-main event of the same card.
Following Tom’s expression of disappointment and criticism towards being overlooked for the title bout, he faced backlash from fans. They called him out and expressed their displeasure, emphasizing that since Stipe Miocic might retire soon, Tom should be given the opportunity to compete for the Heavyweight title.
Stipe Miocic been in this game longer than you. Stop crying about it. We all know the man will soon retire and you'll have your chance.
— Mike (@MikelMiikey) January 4, 2024
Fans argued that Tom still has time in his career and could potentially get a chance to fight for the title later, whereas Stipe, being 41, might retire soon. Some fans even urged Tom not to lament the situation. Observing the reactions of fans, it’s evident that they wish to see Stipe fight for the Heavyweight title and emerge victorious.
However, many acknowledge that it won’t be an easy task, as Jon Jones is perceived by many to be a formidable opponent. Despite this, Tom remains in disagreement with this matchup and intends to put forth his candidacy for the fight.
