Tom Aspinall outlines shock retirement plan involving Jon Jones and two WWE legends
Tom Aspinall knows exactly where he wants to be when he finally lays down the gloves. Aspinall is one of the UFC‘s biggest stars right now as the holder of the interim heavyweight title in Dana White‘s promotion. Aspinall holds the UFC interim heavyweight titlegetty He is expected to unify the division by fighting MMA great Jones this yearAFP - Getty The 31-year-old Mancunian rose to stardom after making easy work of the UFC’s best heavyweights, which led him to being crowned the second best, for now, in the division. Jon Jones is the current king of the UFC heavyweights and a prospective fight with Aspinall has been the talking point of the year among MMA fans around the world. Aspinall vs Jones would be one spectacular occasion, but the former has even bigger plans to mark the end of his fighting career. “That’s my retirement plan,” Aspinall told The Schmo when asked about a potential switch to the WWE after he is finished in the UFC. UFC and the WWE are now both owned by TKO Group Holdings, which makes the potential switch even more likely. In the past, we have seen UFC stars such as Brock Lesnar and Ronda Rousey delve into the billion-dollar wrestling promotion after their mixed martial arts careers ended. “Cody Rhodes is my guy. He’s my guy,” Aspinall added, speaking on his favourite wrestlers in the current roster. “Me and Cody, we will have a match one day, but I think we might team up. We’re both baby faces aren’t we? “Maybe we could fight Jon Jones and whoever the heel is over there… “John Cena just turned heel so Cody Rhodes, Tom Aspinall tag team versus Jon Jones and John Cena. Baby faces versus heels. Big matchup.” Aspinall wouldn’t be against a rematch with Jones in the WWE down the line The Brit said Cena [left] would be an ideal opponent in a tag team with Rhodes [right] Cena, a 16-time world champion, did the unthinkable earlier this month when he aligned himself with Dwanye ‘The Rock’ Johnson and turned evil by attacking Rhodes, a fan-favourite and current Undisputed WWE champion. The incident occurred after WWE’s annual Elimination Chamber event and the pair will officially settle their differences once and for all at WrestleMania next month. Aspinall is currently in the capital ahead of UFC London this weekend, which sees Leon Edwards take on Sean Brady in the main event. Edwards is looking to reclaim his status as the best fighter at welterweight after dropping his title to current champion at 170 pounds Belal Muhammad at UFC Manchester in July. One of the main reasons behind Aspinall being in London this week is also to continue his negotiations with UFC bosses over a potential mega-fight with Jones. Jones has publicly denied wanting to meet the hungry Brit in a mouthwatering clash to unify the heavyweight division. Cena turned heel as he attacked Rhodes in shocking scenes at Elimination ChamberGetty Cena will take on Rhodes in WrestleMania’s main event come AprilGetty However, ‘Bones’ has been left with little to no choice after ex-light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira lost his crown to Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313 in March. The 37-year-old has insisted on only wanting to fight ‘legends’ in the sport, specifically Pereira, before he retires from MMA. Speaking ahead of UFC London, British MMA legend Michael Bisping said Jones should retire if he doesn’t accept a fight with Aspinall soon. “If they don’t announce it soon, then they’re really going to talk about stripping this guy,” he said. ‘Simply, I mean, any other sport, if this was boxing, you would be stripped. “If you don’t fight the mandatory challenger, you will be stripped…It’s just madness.” Aspinall is currently in negotiations awaiting a response to fight JonesGetty Bisping later added: “[Jones] has been an incredible champion, but he needs to hurry up with this fight. Simple as that. Or retire.” Although Aspinall’s future in MMA may not be certain, the UFC star at least knows how he will attack the end of his combat sports career in several years’ time. Where to buy UFC London tickets *If you click on a link in this boxout we will earn affiliate revenue. Please note that Stubhub and Viagogo are ticket resale sites and as such, tickets may be listed at above face value prices. With the UFC only coming to the UK a handful of times per year, the opportunity to see MMA’s biggest stars in action can be limited. However, this month UK-based MMA fans will have the opportunity to see the excitement live as the UFC returns to the 02 arena for UFC Fight Night 254, Edwards vs Brady. See some of the UK’s finest as Leon Edwards, Molly McCann, Nathaniel Wood and more take to the Octagon in what’s set to be a thrilling night of fights. To get tickets to UFC London, follow the links below. UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs Brad
Tom Aspinall knows exactly where he wants to be when he finally lays down the gloves.
Aspinall is one of the UFC‘s biggest stars right now as the holder of the interim heavyweight title in Dana White‘s promotion.
The 31-year-old Mancunian rose to stardom after making easy work of the UFC’s best heavyweights, which led him to being crowned the second best, for now, in the division.
Jon Jones is the current king of the UFC heavyweights and a prospective fight with Aspinall has been the talking point of the year among MMA fans around the world.
Aspinall vs Jones would be one spectacular occasion, but the former has even bigger plans to mark the end of his fighting career.
“That’s my retirement plan,” Aspinall told The Schmo when asked about a potential switch to the WWE after he is finished in the UFC.
UFC and the WWE are now both owned by TKO Group Holdings, which makes the potential switch even more likely.
In the past, we have seen UFC stars such as Brock Lesnar and Ronda Rousey delve into the billion-dollar wrestling promotion after their mixed martial arts careers ended.
“Cody Rhodes is my guy. He’s my guy,” Aspinall added, speaking on his favourite wrestlers in the current roster.
“Me and Cody, we will have a match one day, but I think we might team up. We’re both baby faces aren’t we?
“Maybe we could fight Jon Jones and whoever the heel is over there…
“John Cena just turned heel so Cody Rhodes, Tom Aspinall tag team versus Jon Jones and John Cena. Baby faces versus heels. Big matchup.”
Cena, a 16-time world champion, did the unthinkable earlier this month when he aligned himself with Dwanye ‘The Rock’ Johnson and turned evil by attacking Rhodes, a fan-favourite and current Undisputed WWE champion.
The incident occurred after WWE’s annual Elimination Chamber event and the pair will officially settle their differences once and for all at WrestleMania next month.
Aspinall is currently in the capital ahead of UFC London this weekend, which sees Leon Edwards take on Sean Brady in the main event.
Edwards is looking to reclaim his status as the best fighter at welterweight after dropping his title to current champion at 170 pounds Belal Muhammad at UFC Manchester in July.
One of the main reasons behind Aspinall being in London this week is also to continue his negotiations with UFC bosses over a potential mega-fight with Jones.
Jones has publicly denied wanting to meet the hungry Brit in a mouthwatering clash to unify the heavyweight division.
However, ‘Bones’ has been left with little to no choice after ex-light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira lost his crown to Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313 in March.
The 37-year-old has insisted on only wanting to fight ‘legends’ in the sport, specifically Pereira, before he retires from MMA.
Speaking ahead of UFC London, British MMA legend Michael Bisping said Jones should retire if he doesn’t accept a fight with Aspinall soon.
“If they don’t announce it soon, then they’re really going to talk about stripping this guy,” he said.
‘Simply, I mean, any other sport, if this was boxing, you would be stripped.
“If you don’t fight the mandatory challenger, you will be stripped…It’s just madness.”
Bisping later added: “[Jones] has been an incredible champion, but he needs to hurry up with this fight. Simple as that. Or retire.”
Although Aspinall’s future in MMA may not be certain, the UFC star at least knows how he will attack the end of his combat sports career in several years’ time.
Where to buy UFC London tickets
*If you click on a link in this boxout we will earn affiliate revenue. Please note that Stubhub and Viagogo are ticket resale sites and as such, tickets may be listed at above face value prices.
With the UFC only coming to the UK a handful of times per year, the opportunity to see MMA’s biggest stars in action can be limited.
However, this month UK-based MMA fans will have the opportunity to see the excitement live as the UFC returns to the 02 arena for UFC Fight Night 254, Edwards vs Brady.
See some of the UK’s finest as Leon Edwards, Molly McCann, Nathaniel Wood and more take to the Octagon in what’s set to be a thrilling night of fights.
To get tickets to UFC London, follow the links below.
UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs Brady (02 Arena, 22 March)
- UFC London tickets at Ticketmaster, from £308.40 – buy here
- UFC London tickets at Vivid Seats, from £316 – buy here
- UFC London tickets at Stubhub, from £181 – buy here
- UFC London tickets at Viagogo, from £209 – buy here
For fans looking for an unrivalled Fight Night experience, Seat Unique offers UFC London hospitality packages complete with floor-level seating, UFC athlete appearances, post-fight Octagon experiences and more.
Get your UFC London hospitality tickets below.
UFC London hospitality tickets (02 Arena, 22 March)
- UFC London hospitality at Seat Unique, from £4,599 – buy here
