Tom Aspinall confirmed as backup fighter, says Dana White

LAS VEGAS – The UFC 309 foremost occasion backup fighter doesn’t come as a shock.

Interim champion Tom Aspinall would be the first telephone name made ought to the heavyweight title combat between champion Jon Jones or challenger Stipe Miocic want a alternative, UFC CEO Dana White confirmed Tuesday.

“Sure, Tom Aspinall is subsequent in line for something that occurs after this combat,” White mentioned after Dana White’s Contender Series 72 on the UFC Apex.

UFC 309 takes place Nov. 16 at Madison Sq. Backyard in New York. Ought to all the pieces go in line with plan and Aspinall not be want, the principle occasion will mark the top of an ongoing logjam on the high of the promotion’s heavyweight division.

For over a yr, the promotion has remained useless set on Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) vs. Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) as the following heavyweight title combat. It was initially scheduled for UFC 295 in November 2023, however an injury to Jones pushed the fight back 12 months.

In that combat’s absence, Aspinall defeated Serghei Pavlovich for an interim title. He then defended it against Curtis Blaydes in July. Each fights he ended contained in the opening minutes.

Though Jones has referred to as Miocic his closing combat (as recently as Saturday), White has regularly voiced his hunch Jones’ preventing profession will prolong past that. White mentioned he hasn’t spoken to Jones about fights past the one at the moment on the books.

“Why converse to him after this (previous weekend’s) occasion?” White mentioned. “You’ve bought to determine what’s going to occur on this combat, see how this combat performs out, after which we’ll go from there.”