While Tom Aspinall is in camp as the backup fighter for the UFC 309 headliner, he doesn’t have a specific focus as he normally would.
That’s in large part because he would only step in if something happened to either Jon Jones or Stipe Miocic ahead of their heavyweight title fight at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 16.
“Usually I’m working to a game plan in training, because obviously I’ve got in mind my opponent who I’m going to fight and what their style brings to the table,” Aspinall recently told Safest Casino Sites. “Whereas right now I can’t really train for anybody because I don’t know who I’m fighting and I don’t know if I’m fighting.
“All I’m focusing on is just getting myself as physically ready as possible: getting myself fit, basically getting myself in fighting shape. As far as tactics and stuff — and I’m a big tactics guy — there isn’t any, to be honest. I’m just focusing on me and my game as opposed to one of the other guys who I could potentially fight.”
Aspinall claimed the interim heavyweight crown with a first-round knockout of Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295 one year ago. More recently, he defended the belt with an opening round stoppage of Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 this past July.
The Englishman has lobbied hard for a title unification bout against Jones, but “Bones” — as well as the UFC — has remained insistent on what has been billed as a legacy fight against Miocic, who owns the record for most heavyweight title defenses in promotion history. While Miocic hasn’t fought in more than three years, Apinall believes the Ohio-based firefighter has one significant advantage over Jones.
UFC 309: Jones vs Miocic. Saturday at 10 ET on ESPN+. Order Now!
“I’d be looking for the knockout against Jon Jones, is what I’d be looking for with him. I’d be trying to push him back and use his size,” Aspinall said. “It’s not even like he can use the experience. They’re both as experienced as one another, but I’d just be using my size on him, trying to push him back and knock him out. I think that Stipe Miocic has got big knockout power in comparison to Jon Jones. So I think he can knock him out.”
Even though Aspinall has been critical of the Jones-Miocic booking, he also acknowledges the ability both men possess. As a result, he has difficulty pinpointing specific weaknesses for either heavyweight.
“To be honest, with guys like Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic, it’s very, very difficult to look at them and technically pick apart what they do wrong. It’s very difficult,” Aspinall said. “Jon Jones is one of the best to ever do it and so is Stipe. It’s difficult, even for a guy like me who works an analyst job now and does this as a kind of second career, to look at these guys and be like, ‘yeah, this is what they do wrong technically.’ Ultimately, they don’t do a lot wrong.”
With UFC 309 on the horizon, Aspinall is staying prepared in case something goes awry. It’s a familiar assignment — even with no clear-cut opponent.
“I’m just doing my job, doing my routine, sticking to my routine and doing what I need to do,” he said. “I’ve had a million fights now at this point I know what I’m doing. I know how to prepare for a fight. Even though I’ve not got a fight confirmed right now, I am staying fit and staying ready just in case.”
