Jon Jones would rather walk away from UFC than fight Tom Aspinall.
Anyone who is surprised that “Bones” bailed must have missed his three-year absence when the promotion wanted Jones to face Francis Ngannou. Regardless, the show must go on and Aspinall is now the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion.
His first assignment?
Nothing is official at this time, but heavyweight contender Ciryl Gane, who is likely to grab the No. 1 ranking now that Jones has skipped town, is currently the frontrunner for Aspinall’s next title defense. Hopefully “Bon Gamin” doesn’t come across any new movie roles between now and then.
Aspinall is currently the -350 betting favorite against +285 for Gane, according to SportsBetting.ag. The champ opened at -300 but thirsty bettors were quick to grab the opening line while it was still available, so don’t be surprised to see more movement ahead of fight night.
Fortunately, Aspinall is already on board.
The hulking Brit promised to be an active champion and recently claimed to have a date and location for his Octagon return. Heavyweight hurters Alexander Volkov, Sergei Pavlovich, and Curtis Blaydes round out the division Top 5, but Aspinall has already fought and finished them within the first round.
Expect an official announcement in the coming weeks, if not days.
