British fighter Tom Aspinall has pledged to restore consistency and activity to the UFC`s heavyweight division after becoming the undisputed champion without competing for the title.
The 32-year-old athlete from Wigan was promoted from interim titleholder last Sunday. This happened after Jon Jones pulled out of their scheduled multi-million-pound unification bout, which was set for November at Madison Square Garden.
MMA icon Jon Jones, aged 37, has retired from the sport. He had effectively tied up the division for nearly two years, and Aspinall has vowed to make it active again promptly.
He stated: “I am going to keep this thing as active as possible. My goal is to be the greatest heavyweight fighter ever. I will defend this title as frequently as I can and ensure you are entertained.”
“I want to acknowledge and give back to everyone who has supported me over the past year, five years, and ten years. From now on, you will see an active, defending undisputed UFC heavyweight champion.”
The controversial American, Jon Jones, who was recently charged with fleeing the scene of an accident, retires having been the youngest champion in UFC history and widely considered the sport`s greatest fighter.
However, Aspinall maintains that his aspirations and legacy will not be negatively impacted by the cancellation of what he described as his `dream` fight against the former top-ranked fighter.
He told SunSport: “Ultimately, my aim is to be the heavyweight champion. Jon Jones is not the main factor in that. Fighting him would have been a great bonus, a valuable experience. I`m primarily a huge fan of Jon Jones.”
“It would have been incredible to have that experience with Jon. But as he himself advised, ‘Don’t let me hold you back.’ When he said that in an interview, I realized he was right. I`m not going to let Jon`s situation impede my progress.”
Following his retirement announcement, news emerged that Jones was charged on June 17 with leaving the scene of an accident that did not result in serious injury or death.
According to a police report from the incident in New Mexico on February 27, a woman was discovered in the passenger seat of a vehicle involved in the crash.
The report states the woman “exhibited signs of significant intoxication and lacked clothing from the waist down.” She alleged that Jones was driving the car and ran away from the scene after the collision.
She admitted to consuming mushrooms and alcohol at Jones` residence. When police interviewed Jones a few days later, he claimed the woman drove away from his home herself while intoxicated.
