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After what seems like an eternity of waiting, Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic is finally set for UFC 309 in Madison Square Garden in November. Interestingly, Tom Aspinall has been confirmed as the official backup fighter for the contest.
One UFC veteran seems convinced he knows how Dana White plans to promote the fight and lay the groundwork for an eventual title unification with interim champion Tom Aspinall.
Talking to Daniel Cormier during a recent segment of the Good Guy / Bad Guy podcast, former three-time UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen suggested that Aspinall being the official backup for the main event alludes to Jones and Miocic's willingness to take on the highly touted Brit.
He also believes White is banking on the Michael Jordan-esque allure of 'Bones' to promote the contest as Miocic does not indulge in verbal back-and-forth:
"[Miocic] is a first responder. He is a close to a superhero as all of sports has... When Dana would find himself at press conferences he would do two things. He would talk about the sheer greatness, the Michael Jordan-esque appeal to Jon Jones and Dana would talk about down the road getting Jon and Aspinall. Dana didn't know how to do a back and forth between him and Stipe."
Sonnen added:
"Dana White came out yesterday at about noon and officially made Tom Aspinall the backup fighter... my understanding [is] when you have a backup fighter like Tom, that means both guys, Stipe and Jon have agreed."
Catch Chael Sonnen's comments below (3:50):
Suffice to say, Cormier doesn't subscribe to Sonnen's optimism. As the former two-division champion sees it, if either of the main eventers is unable to fight, Aspinall will be paired up with Ciryl Gane as the new main event for UFC 309.
Dana White convinced Jon Jones will defend the heavyweight title against Tom Aspinall
While Jon Jones has hinted at possibly retiring after his fight against Stipe Miocic, Dana White is convinced the heavyweight champion will face Tom Aspinall in a unification bout before calling it a career.
Ever since Aspinall won the interim strap against Sergei Pavlovich, fans have been salivating for the Englishman to take on Jones. However, delays with Jones vs. Miocic have prevented such a possibility.
During a recent press conference at 'Dana White's Contender Series', the UFC CEO said:
"He is talking about retiring, but will he, if the Aspinall thing is really flying out there? I personally think Jon challenges himself and takes the fight. Yeah, I think he does it... There is no way in hell that Jon Jones doesn't want to fight Aspinall. That I guarantee you."
Catch Dana White's comments below (0:20):
