After almost exactly a year away since his last fight, Tom Aspinall apparently has signed a contract for his next fight -- his first as defending UFC heavyweight champion.
Following the long, dragged-on saga involving him, the UFC, and Jon Jones, Aspinall told Stefan Struve with UFC Eurosport that he has signed a contract to solidify his first defense since being elevated to undisputed UFC heavyweight champion.
"I've just been doing what I'm told by the UFC, which is stay ready," Aspinall said. "I've stayed ready for a year now. So, it's been a little weird situation, but that's done. We now have a fight. We can move forward with that, finally. I'm really happy about it."
No details on an opponent or date and venue were revealed. It should be noted that Aspinall has beaten most of the top 10-ranked heavyweights in one round; however, he has never faced No. 1 contender Ciryl Gane, who has been an interim heavyweight champion but has come up short in challenges of Francis Ngannou and Jones.
Tom Aspinall To Make First Defense Of UFC Heavyweight Title, Details Still To Be Announced
This news also comes on the heels of an ever-going drama between Jones, Aspinall, and the UFC.
Aspinall was elevated to undisputed UFC heavyweight champion at the UFC Baku post-fight press conference last month following the announcement of Jones' retirement (and the news of new legal troubles). Of course, Jones' retirement lasted just two weeks before unretiring in the wake of the UFC White House card announcement -- and he has since claimed he and Aspinall were back in negotiations.
UFC CEO and President Dana White had called Jones vs. Aspinall a "dream match" to headline such a card; however, he admitted at the UFC 318 post-fight press conference that he has trust issues about putting Jones on what would be such a prominent event.
After his win over Gane, Jones defended the heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic 20 months later at UFC 309. Jones and Miocic were originally booked for UFC 295; however, Jones ended up tearing his pec, and the UFC -- driven to have Jones vs. Miocic -- elected to postpone the fight.
Aspinall defeated Sergei Pavlovich for the interim UFC heavyweight title at UFC 295 and retained the interim gold against Curtis Blaydes at UFC 309.
Jones and Aspinall's teams had been in negotiations with the UFC for quite some time. The story goes that while the fight was nearly official last month, Jones decided to retire, citing feeling that he's accomplished everything he has needed to in the sport.