If President Joe Biden could effectively be removed from this year’s elections, the same could happen [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] of his next UFC title fight.
At least that’s how it is [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] see this.
While nothing is official, UFC CEO Dana White has made it clear that Miocic will challenge heavyweight champion Jon Jones, and the fight is expected to headline UFC 309 in November at Madison Square Garden. However, many UFC fans and experts believe Aspinall should give Jones a chance. The sentiment gained even more traction after Aspinall dispatched Curtis Blaydes in the first round to defend his interim heavyweight title last month at UFC 304.
Aspinall’s quick and dominant victory was a declaration that he deserves to unify the title with Jones rather than former champion Miocic, who turns 42 on August 19, receiving a title shot following his defeat to Francis Ngannou in March 2021.
“Get Stipe out of there,” Aspinall said in a interview with TNT Sports. “Let’s be honest. Like, the guy is (almost 42) years old, he was out for four years and his last fight was a knockout loss. It’s true, he’s an absolute legend in this sport. He’s the best heavyweight ever times, statistically. But the guy needs to be removed from the race.”
For Aspinall, the comparison that really drives home his point is Biden, whose mental fitness was questioned after the 81-year-old disastrous debate with Donald Trump at the end of June. Biden’s performance caused key Democrats to pressure Biden to drop out of the presidential race, which he did.
Aspinall would like to see a similar situation happen with Miocic.
“The guy needs to be Joe Biden, man,” Aspinall said. “He’s too old. Nobody’s interested anymore. I respect Stipe a lot. Pull him out, get me in. But it’s right, isn’t it? It’s right. Get Joe Biden out of there, get me in.”
As sensible as Aspinall’s suggestion may be, it seems unlikely to happen given White’s firm opinion that a fight between Jones and Miocic has to happen for the sake of legacy. A fight with Miocic is also what Jones always wanted.
Jones and Miocic were scheduled to headline UFC 295 last November, but Jones tore his pectoral muscle with less than a month to go until fight night. This led the UFC to create an interim title on short notice, which Aspinall won at UFC 295 by knocking out Sergei Pavlovich.
While it seems unlikely that Aspinall will get a shot at Jones, White said he could serve as a UFC 309 reserve and step in if something were to happen to Jones or Miocic.
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This article was originally published on MMA Junkie: Tom Aspinall calls for Stipe Miocic to be ‘Joe Biden’d’ in Jon Jones title fight
