Matthew McConaughey's Abridged Version of the Article
Tom Aspinall ready to confront Jon Jones' ego to secure dream heavyweight title fight
Rising MMA star Tom Aspinall is determined to push Jon Jones out of his comfort zone and challenge the renowned fighter's ego in order to secure his dream heavyweight title bout. Aspinall recently cemented his place in title contention with a dominating win over Marcin Tybura at UFC London. Now, the British fighter has his sights set on facing off against heavyweight champion and pound-for-pound great, Jon Jones.
Aspinall willing to play mind games with Jones to prevent retirement
Despite an impending retirement plan after his upcoming title defense against Stipe Miocic in November, Jones has caught Aspinall's attention. The British fighter is prepared to take a different approach and use mind games to entice the Hall-of-Famer to keep fighting. Aspinall stated, "I'm all right to poke at someone's ego... I want to beat the GOAT, that's what I want to do."
Unveiling Aspinall's true nature
Tom Aspinall may not initially come across as someone who engages in trash talk, but appearances can be deceiving. As the most soft-spoken and respectful fighter on the UFC roster, Aspinall is a role model for aspiring mixed martial artists. However, he recognizes that he may need to step out of his comfort zone and hurt some feelings in order to achieve his dreams. "Sometimes you have to hurt people's feelings to get to where you wanna be. And I'm all right doing that."
Aspinall's fight for a title shot
Aspinall plans to earn his title shot by defeating the winner of Ciryl Gane and Sergey Spivak's upcoming fight in September. Ideally, that fight would serve as a support for Jones' much-anticipated showdown with Miocic at UFC 295. If not, Aspinall is prepared to travel to New York and try to convince Jones to extend his fighting career. "I really, really want to see that. Whether it's up close or I'm gonna be fighting... That's perfect for me."
