{"id":96768,"date":"2023-11-30T17:24:13","date_gmt":"2023-11-30T17:24:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stopsmokingway.com\/?p=96768"},"modified":"2023-11-30T17:24:13","modified_gmt":"2023-11-30T17:24:13","slug":"tom-aspinall-sets-his-sights-on-becoming-an-undisputed-champion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stopsmokingway.com\/fighting\/tom-aspinall-sets-his-sights-on-becoming-an-undisputed-champion\/","title":{"rendered":"Tom Aspinall sets his sights on becoming an &apos;undisputed&apos; champion"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>EXCLUSIVE: UFC star Tom Aspinall claims he has NO interest in a boxing fight, despite previously training with Tyson Fury&#8230; as interim heavyweight champion insists his only goal is to become the &#8216;undisputed&#8217; king<\/h1>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Tom Aspinall recently became the UFC&#8217;s interim heavyweight champion\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Speaking to Mail Sport, the British star revealed what he thinks is next for him\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Cold war! It&#8217;s crazy this fight is being staged outdoors in February &#8211; The Hook\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>British UFC star Tom Aspinall has admitted that he has no interest in a boxing match while he waits for unify his interim heavyweight title.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Earlier this month, Aspinall became just the third British fighter ever to get their hands on a UFC title after defeating Sergei Pavlovich in the first round at UFC 295.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It was a momentous occasion for the 30-year-old, who took the fight on short notice following an injury to reigning heavyweight champion Jon Jones &#8211; who had been scheduled to headline the card against Stipe Miocic.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In the wake of his momentous victory, Aspinall has since called for a fight with either Jones and Miocic &#8211; despite UFC matchmakers suggesting that the two American stars will face-off against one another.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s an idea that the British champion isn&#8217;t fond of and one that could leave him in limbo for up to a year &#8211; as Jones looks to recover from a torn pectoral injury.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/11\/30\/16\/77838519-12810477-Aspinall_admitted_that_it_would_sting_if_a_fight_with_Jones_neve-a-17_1701362267419.jpg\" height=\"424\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>British star Tom Aspinall claimed the UFC&#8217;s interim heavyweight title after beating Sergei Pavlovich (L) at UFC 295 earlier this month\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/11\/30\/16\/78432357-12810477-image-a-20_1701362695721.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>The 30-year-old has now claimed his only goal is to become the &#8216;undisputed&#8217; heavyweight king<\/p>\n<p>When speaking exclusively to <span>Mail Sport<\/span>, Aspinall admitted that he&#8217;s unsure what could be in store for him next within the UFC.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Asked about whether the UFC had given any indication about his next bout, Aspinall said:\u00a0&#8216;Zero at this point. I would love to be sat here today with big news. You know, everywhere I go, I get asked &#8216;Oh what&#8217;s next?&#8217; I don&#8217;t know!<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;And that&#8217;s the way it works, unfortunately. You don&#8217;t get given a date and you don&#8217;t get give him a name for quite some time after you fight.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;Sometimes you do, sometimes you don&#8217;t. But in this instance right now, I know nothing&#8217;.<\/p>\n<p>Rumours had circulated that Aspinall &#8211; who has previously trained with heavyweight king Tyson Fury &#8211; would be open to stepping inside the boxing ring while he awaits a unification bout.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Aspinall and Fury were sparring partners during the start of Fury&#8217;s comeback in 2018 before linking back up when the Gypsy King took on Francis Ngannou last month.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>However, when pressed on the matter again, the Mancunian distanced himself from the idea and suggested that &#8216;headlines&#8217; got &#8216;messed up&#8217; during that week.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>When asked whether he was genuinely intending to step into the boxing ring, Aspinall said:\u00a0&#8216;No, it&#8217;s not serious. See, this is where headlines and actual interviews get messed up a little bit.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/11\/30\/16\/77838529-12810477-The_interim_heavyweight_champion_claimed_he_s_returned_to_normal-a-16_1701362263384.jpg\" height=\"424\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>The interim heavyweight champion insisted he&#8217;s been given no indication over his next fight<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/11\/30\/16\/77604899-12810477-Aspinall_has_been_a_long_term_training_partner_for_British_heavy-a-15_1701362256472.jpg\" height=\"630\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Aspinall has been a long-term training partner for British heavyweight boxer Tyson Fury (R)\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;If you watch the interview when I was talking about the boxing thing, somebody just asked me would you be interested in boxing? Like, in the meantime.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;I was like &#8216;Yeah, I guess&#8217;. That&#8217;s all I said on it! It wasn&#8217;t like I wasn&#8217;t coming out saying &#8216;I want to box now&#8217; because I&#8217;m not going to box.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;I&#8217;ve got so much work to do in the UFC and I don&#8217;t want to be one of these fighters who thinks I&#8217;ve done enough work because I&#8217;ve got a title.<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;I want to fight for the undisputed title is what I want to do. That&#8217;s my goal. And I want to fight a couple of these legends before they retire.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;Mate, I&#8217;ve got so much work to do over the next&#8230; however long, before I even thinking about boxing. So right now, I&#8217;m definitely not trying to box.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;Do I want to box before the end of my career? Probably but, if I don&#8217;t, I&#8217;m alright with that as well&#8217;.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>As mentioned earlier, reigning UFC heavyweight champion Jones is set to be sidelined until mid-2024 with his pectoral injury.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>And, with the UFC unlikely to strip the legendary fighter of his heavyweight title, it leaves Aspinall in a difficult position.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/11\/30\/16\/77699405-12810477-Aspinall_took_the_fight_on_two_and_a_half_weeks_notice_and_deliv-a-19_1701362291062.jpg\" height=\"425\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Aspinall took the fight\u00a0on two-and-a-half-weeks notice and delivered an incredible knockout<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/11\/30\/16\/77839079-12810477-Jones_was_originally_scheduled_to_headline_the_UFC_295_before_su-a-18_1701362287566.jpg\" height=\"424\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Jones was originally scheduled to headline the UFC 295 before suffering an injury to his pec<\/p>\n<p>While he suggested he could spend that time &#8216;improving&#8217;, he also admitted he&#8217;s unsure as to what else he can do to fill the time.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;I&#8217;ve got a lot to improve on but I don&#8217;t know. I&#8217;m the kind of guy who needs something to focus on.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;And I wouldn&#8217;t really want to go a year without fighting. Like, it&#8217;s not really my thing. Like, I&#8217;m a fighter &#8211; this is how I make money!\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;This is how I provide for my family. This is what I enjoy. So I don&#8217;t know is the honest answer. I would love to sit here and tell you. But I honestly don&#8217;t know&#8217;.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/i\/pix\/2023\/10\/25\/The%20Hook_Promo_Desktop.636.png\"><br \/>\nSource: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/sport\/mma\/article-12810477\/UFC-star-Tom-Aspinall-claims-NO-boxing-fight-despite-previously-training-Tyson-Fury-interim-heavyweight-champion-insists-goal-undisputed-king.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>EXCLUSIVE: UFC star Tom Aspinall claims he has NO interest in a boxing fight, despite previously training with Tyson Fury&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Tom Aspinall sets his sights on becoming an &amp;apos;undisputed&amp;apos; 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