Jon Jones has congratulated Tom Aspinall for his knockout victory against Sergei Pavlovich in their interim heavyweight title fight at UFC 295.
Aspinall stepped in on short notice to face Pavlovich for the interim UFC heavyweight title at UFC 295, after Jones withdrew from his scheduled heavyweight title defense against Stipe Miocic due to a torn pectoral tendon sustained during a training session.
As a result, the UFC booked an interim heavyweight title fight between Aspinall and Pavlovich in the UFC 295 co-main event.
The fight was short but sweet. The Russian landed solid punches early on, seemingly unsettling his British opponent, but Aspinall reacted swiftly with a massive punch that badly rattled Pavlovich.
After a few more hits, Pavlovich went unconscious, and Aspinall was crowned the new interim UFC heavyweight champion in just 69 seconds.
“It has been a crazy two and a half weeks,” an emotional Aspinall said after the fight. “I want to tell everyone at home, that if you ever get the chance to do something and you’re scared to do it, you should just do it.”
“I’ve worked so hard over the years and no one has worked harder than my father so this belt is dedicated to him. I was struggling with the distance a little bit but we got there in the end.”
Jon Jones took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to congratulate Aspinall, who could be his next opponent.
“Tom congratulations on the interim heavyweight championship belt! That was an awesome performance!”
Tom congratulations on the interim heavyweight championship belt! That was an awesome performance!
— BONY (@JonnyBones) November 12, 2023
However, Dana White confirmed that the UFC still intends to have the Jon Jones vs Stipe Miocic next. ‘Bones’ will probably not be fighting until at least the summer of 2024.
