Tom Aspinall is not worried about waiting for a fight with Jon Jones.
Aspinall has been wanting to fight Jones to unify the UFC heavyweight titles. Aspinall, ranked number one in the division by MMA Fighting, became interim champion by defeating Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295 after Jones and Stipe Miocic`s fight was postponed due to Jones`s injury.
Jones became the undisputed champion at UFC 285 after Francis Ngannou left and then defended it against Miocic at UFC 309. Aspinall has also defended his interim title once. Jones, a former light heavyweight champion, has often dismissed Aspinall as not being a worthy opponent.
Last Saturday in London, Aspinall and his team met with UFC Chief Business Officer Hunter Campbell. After their discussion, Aspinall feels more optimistic, although it`s not clear if the UFC will book him to fight Jones or someone else.
“We had a good dinner and discussed everything,” Aspinall said on The Ariel Helwani Show. “Hunter has always been very approachable and reasonable with me. He’s been very welcoming and great to me and my team. We had a great meeting, everything went well, and I now understand my position and what the company is doing. Stay tuned for some big news.”
When asked if things are moving in the right direction, Aspinall said, “That’s fair to say.” He added that he is excited about the future and isn`t concerned about the time since his last fight against Curtis Blaydes in July.
“After the meeting, I feel very optimistic about things,” Aspinall said. “I’m in a really good place with everything and my future. It’s an exciting time.”
“The break isn`t that long, to be honest. People say Jon Jones is holding up my career, but it’s only been seven months, which isn`t too bad. I don’t want to say too much, but exciting things are coming.”
While Aspinall didn`t give many details about his conversation with Campbell and didn`t confirm if they talked about Jones specifically, he made it clear that he wants to be recognized as the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion.
“Of course, I want to fight,” Aspinall said. “But it has to be the right fight, and as I`ve said before, I deserve to fight for the undisputed heavyweight title. That’s very important to me. Money is secondary. I want to be the undisputed heavyweight champion, and that’s what I’m working towards.”
“I’m not just sitting at home doing nothing. I’m training in the gym every day. I’m in a good place. I would prefer to fight sooner, but I believe everything happens for a reason. So, I’m sure when the time is right, it will be the right time.”
He also confirmed that he doesn`t plan to defend the interim title again.
Regarding Jones publicly asking for a lot of money to fight Aspinall, the British fighter understands this.
“I agree that he deserves every penny he earns because of everything he has achieved,” Aspinall said.
Aspinall was at UFC London and seemed to joke about Jones when he was shown on camera with a toy duck, continuing the joke that Jones is avoiding a fight with him. Aspinall confirmed that the duck was indeed a joke.
“No, I just like ducks,” Aspinall said. “I always carry a duck with me, just in case. No, it was just a bit of fun, a little joke.”
Wesley Dunham 
Marcus Blakely