Tom Aspinall picks opponent he should fight if the winner of Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic retires

Tom Aspinall has not entered the octagon since July when he defeated Curtis Blaydes via first-round knockout at UFC 304 to defend his interim heavyweight title for the first time. While he has angled for an undisputed title opportunity, the UFC will continue with the previous planned clash between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic that has been nearly a year and a half in the making.

The No.1-ranked heavyweight recently revealed who he would like to face next amid reports that both fighters could walk away after their UFC 309 clash. Speaking in a Q&A on his YouTube channel, Aspinall stated:

"If them two retire, which I think is quite likely - but I don't know, you never know - I think it only makes sense to fight the winner of [Alexander] Volkov and [Ciryl] Gane."

He later revealed that he plans to be an active champion, claiming:

"There's loads of challengers, but as far as activity, I think fighting twice a year is good as a champion. I think, realistically, that's decent. Twice a year."

Check out Aspinall's comments on who he would like to face next if Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic retire (starting at the 8:29 mark):

Volkov and Gane appeared set to clash at UFC 308 next month. However, the former was forced to withdraw from the bout due to a knee injury. The pair have been rescheduled to face one another at UFC 310 in December.

It is unclear when Aspinall could return to the octagon if both Jones and Miocic retire following their title clash.

---

Ben Askren believes Tom Aspinall should face Jon Jones

Ben Askren recently weighed in on the scheduled UFC 309 heavyweight title bout between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic.

Speaking on Daniel Cormier's self-titled YouTube channel, the former Bellator and ONE Championship welterweight champion discussed 'Bones' reiterating his plans to retire, claiming he wanted to see him face Tom Aspinall:

"I hear it with a note of sadness because I want to see him fight Tom Aspinall, I've said forever. It doesn't appear to be happening. It really sucks. It sucks that I have to speak against Stipe because I have nothing against him. I actually think about Stipe favorably, but he hasn't fought in forever... Tom Aspinall's been out here in the streets beating everyone up. I would love to see Tom Aspinall versus Jon Jones."

Check out Ben Askren's comments below (starting at the 1:15 mark):

Askren added that Aspinall has shown he deserves the fight. While the interim heavyweight champion has earned a title opportunity, Jones has been clear his plans to retire after facing Miocic since last May.