"They all blackmailing Dana" - Restless Tom Aspinall considers boxing switch amidst stalled UFC negotiations, fans react

Tom Aspinall was able to capture the UFC interim heavyweight title after picking up a first-round knockout victory over Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295. Despite his status as interim champion, the No.1-ranked heavyweight will likely remain inactive for some time as Jon Jones is out with a torn pectoral tendon and will face Stipe Miocic upon his return to the octagon.

Speaking to Fight Disciples, Aspinall revealed that he is open to taking a boxing match. MMA Orbit shared the news, tweeting:

"🚨| Tom Aspinall has said he’d be open to a boxing match early next year if the UFC do not let him fight Stipe Miocic or Jon Jones. He says he’s fit and wants to stay active so if he cannot be active in MMA then he’d be down to box. [per @FightDisciples] #UFC295 #UFC #MMA"

Check out the tweet from MMA Orbit below:

Fans reacted to the possibility of Aspinall taking a boxing match. @ggscarfacee claimed that fighters are using boxing as a way to blackmail UFC President Dana White:

"Bruh they all blackmailing Dana with the boxing 😂😂"

@quan_eth questioned if boxing fans would be interested in watching Aspinall:

"Honestly I respect him wanting to be active. Dude doesn’t want to wait around for a year. I don’t know how big of a draw he is to the general public. Would boxing fans be interested you think?"

@MMAPauli pointed out that boxing is likely not in the UFC's plans for the interim heavyweight champion:

"Yea bro boxing is exactly what Dana has planned for you"

@quan_eth shared a GIF of Dana White running, adding:

"Dana running to try and save all his heavyweights before they switch to boxing 😮‍💨"

@daniel_dinoia is tired of hearing about UFC fighters wanting to box:

"This is getting old"

@mythical_mma wondered why fighters continue to believe the UFC will allow them to box:

"Whats up with every fighter acting like this is a possibility when the ufc have been super clear they wont allow it"

@AlexJ_Daugherty believes Aspinall is doing too much, too fast:

"Fight happened two weeks ago, dude is doing too much too fast. Cut him"

@AldeezyMMA suggested that he is properly putting pressure on White:

"This is exactly how you put pressure on Dana"

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Tom Aspinall calls for the UFC to strip Jon Jones

Despite claiming the UFC interim heavyweight title, Tom Aspinall is unlikely to face heavyweight champion Jon Jones in his return from injury. The No.1-ranked heavyweight recently called for 'Bones' to be stripped of his title. During a recent interview with UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping, Aspinall stated:

"I haven't heard nothing from the UFC. I think Jon Jones should be stripped of the title to be honest, because everyone else does when they get injured like that. I don't see why he's still got it."

Check out Tom Aspinall's full comments on Jon Jones below (starting at the 34:45 mark):

Tom Aspinall added that he would like to face Stipe Miocic for the opportunity to challenge Jon Jones for the heavyweight title. It is unlikely that 'Bones' will be stripped of his title or that Miocic will fight prior to challenging for the belt.