Tom Aspinall celebrates as he becomes heavyweight champion after beating Curtis Blaydes during the Heavyweight bout at the Co-op Live Arena, Manchester, England, Sunday July 28, 2024. (Richard Sellers/PA via AP)
Tom Aspinall earned a $100,000 bonus on top of his already hefty payday for his quick KO in his UFC title fight. For the British heavyweight, it’s best he’s paid by performance, rather than by the hour.
Don’t take a break for a pint when Aspinall fights.
Aspinall needed all of 60 seconds to use a series of punishing right hands to knock out Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 on Saturday night in Manchester, England.
READ: UFC 295: Tom Aspinall wins interim heavyweight title
He needed 69 seconds to beat Sergei Pavlovich last November at UFC 295 to win the interim heavyweight title and fought just 73 seconds in a win in the fight before that one.
Against the overmatched Blaydes, Aspinall (15-3) earned his 12th career knockout win, each in about the length of TikTok video. He has made it to the second round just once in his nine UFC fights.
“I’m the best finisher in the UFC, man,” Aspinall said.
Who’s going to argue?
His fights may be brief, but Aspinall wouldn’t mind stretching out the length of his title reign for as long as it can last — with a UFC heavyweight title unification bout included to settle the debate of best big man in the division.
Up first, heavyweight champ Jon Jones against Stipe Miocic in an overdue, anticipated title fight.
“There’s no doubt,” UFC CEO Dana White said, “whoever wins the fight between Jon Jones and Stipe is a great fight for Aspinall.”
The 31-year-old Aspinall made short work of Blaydes and challenged Jones from inside the cage to a unification bout. Jones, widely regarded as one of the best MMA fighters of all time, has been sidelined since he suffered a torn pectoral tendon last year. Jones had surgery and his heavyweight title fight last November against Miocic at Madison Square Garden was called off.
UFC arranged for an interim title fight that night in the Garden at UFC 295 in a bout that changed the course of the division. Aspinall knocked out Pavlovich in the first round to become the first British heavyweight to win gold.
READ: UFC 295: Jon Jones injury calls off heavyweight clash with Stipe Miocic
Jones and Miocic will fight at a future date — with a potential showdown this November at the Garden in the running for the super fight — and the winner should fight Aspinall to crown an undisputed heavyweight champion.
Jones turned 37 in July and hinted at the Miocic fight when he posted on social media at the time that he was “16 weeks away from fighting the most decorated heavyweight in UFC history. I feel like I’m in a great spot right before training camp ramps up.”
Aspinall, of Salford, England, said he’d stand by as backup fighter for November should Jones or the 41-year-old Miocic be unable to compete.
“I’ll be ready to step in if someone gets injured,” Aspinall said. “Which is quite likely, to be honest.”
Miocic, a two-time UFC heavyweight champion, turns 42 in August and hasn’t fought since he lost the championship to Francis Ngannou in March 2021. Jones hasn’t fought since his heavyweight debut when he defeated Ciryl Gane to win the belt in March 2023.
While still a major fight in name value, the appetite for the bout has mellowed with both fighters sidelined — all while Aspinall’s star power rocketed like one of his ferocious right hands.
“I make opponents twitch before I hit them,” Aspinall said. “They don’t see the punch.”
The question is: Will Aspinall ever get to fight either Jones or Miocic?
White hinted that both fighters could retire after their eventual bout, win or lose.
Though already stamped on the short list of greatest MMA fighters of all time, it’s hard to see Jones walking away without getting a shot to test his mettle against the top heavyweight around in Aspinall.
Jones had already made the case he was the best light heavyweight by winning a record 14 title fights and is on a UFC-best 18-match unbeaten streak, giving him a 26-1 record with one no-contest.
He was suspended for a year in 2016 for a failed drug test and had his 2017 victory over Daniel Cormier turned into a no-contest after another drug test came up positive.
Aspinall knows he’s on the back end of his career and doesn’t necessarily want to wait another year or so — especially given Jones’ injury history and personal issues — to get his shot at what promises to be one of the biggest heavyweight fights in UFC history.
Aspinall will wait if he must — for legacy, for the payday, for the shot to lay claim as the best heavyweight in the land.
“Let’s settle it,” Aspinall said. “Simple as that.”