Interim UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall believes he is the next Jon Jones after receiving a signal from the UFC brass.

After stopping Stipe Miocic with a vicious spinning back kick to the body in the main event of UFC 309, Jones (28-1 MMA, 22-1 UFC) hopped on the mic alongside Joe Rogan and revealed he plans to continue to stop fighting, which put the rumors to rest. of retirement.

Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC), who was listed as a backup option for the fight, watched Jones take care of business from the cage and also listened intently to Jones’ words on the microphone. When he heard his name called, Aspinall said he had been keeping an eye on Dana White and Hunter Campbell.

“When Jon Jones gave his speech, I looked directly at the UFC brass, Dana and Hunter,” Aspinall said on ESPN’s post-fight show. “They both turned to me at the same time, pointed at me and winked. At the same time. So to me this means something big is in the pipeline.”

After sitting out all fight week, not knowing if his services as a backup fighter would be needed at the last minute, Aspinall leaves New York with increased confidence that the next time he and Jones step into the octagon, it will be to unite the heavyweights. title.

Combined with White’s insistence that the winner of the UFC 309 main event should face Aspinall next, the Englishman feels he is in a good place to get the chance to prove he is the best heavyweight in the world .

“This is huge,” Aspinall said. “This is possibly one of the biggest fights in MMA right now. If that doesn’t interest Jon Jones, I don’t know what else we can do. Everyone knows this is the battle we must fight. This is the fight the people want. This is the fight the UFC wants, this is the fight the fans want, and this is the fight that needs to happen now.”