Tom Aspinall and Dana White met immediately after UFC 309 – and what the UFC boss told the interim heavyweight champ has him excited.
[autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] was caught off guard by his post-UFC 309 meeting with promotion president Dana White in New York.
Recently a guest on “Piers Morgan Uncensored,” Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) revealed he spoke with White following the conclusion of the Nov. 16 post-fight news conference. His expectation was to have some light negotiation about a potential [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] unification bout, but instead, he was immediately greeted with a confident statement from White.
“Actually, right after that press conference, I had a meeting with Dana,” Aspinall said. “So, in all honesty, I was expecting to come and maybe we negotiate a little bit. He literally walks into the room and said, ‘It’s happening.’ I said, ‘Well, he’s going to want loads of money.’ He said, ‘I know, but it’s happening.’ And he said, ‘It’s going to be the biggest fight in UFC history.'”
So, has Jones (28-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) agreed to fight Aspinall already? Jones has remained largely mum on the topic since his TKO win over Stipe Miocic. Aspinall isn’t sure, but thinks the UFC will break out the big bucks to make it happen.
“I don’t know,” Aspinall said. “In all honesty, Jon Jones is like… nobody knows what he’s doing, even the UFC. I don’t know. … I would imagine so. I would imagine so. I can’t speak for Dana.”
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Aspinall doesn’t expect to make the same money Jones will should the fight happen. But according to him, he’s prioritizing a different kind of prize.
“No, no,” Aspinall said. “I don’t really care about money at this point. Obviously, I’ve got a family. I want to make as much money as I can. But to me, what’s more important is unifying belts.”
Rico Verhoeven is amused by Conor McGregor using his sparring footage with Tom Aspinall as analysis for a fight with Jon Jones.
[autotag]Rico Verhoeven[/autotag] is amused at the idea of [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] or anyone else trying to use his sparring footage with interim UFC champion [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] as analysis for a potential title unifier with Jon Jones.
Verhoeven, the current GLORY Kickboxing heavyweight champion, is a good friend of Aspinall, with the pair frequently using each other in training camps for their respective bouts. They were in the gym recently, with Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) getting some rounds for his potential backup role at UFC 309 this month when Jones (28-1 MMA, 22-1 UFC) took on Stipe Miocic, as well as assisting Verhoeven ahead of his title defense with Levi Rigters at GLORY COLLISION 7 on Dec. 7 in the Netherlands.
After Jones defeated Miocic by third-round TKO, UFC CEO Dana White said he will do everything in his power to make the fight with Aspinall next. In anticipation of that, Aspinall recently said on “The Ariel Helwani Show” that Jones is worried about facing him because of the lack of fight footage he has to prepare off.
That prompted former two-division UFC champion McGregor to chime in on social media and point to some of the sparring videos that have surfaced between Aspinall and Verhoeven, to which he said Aspinall looked “woeful.” That takeaway was comical to Verhoeven.
“Come on – me and Tom, you really, really, really think me and Tom are going to spar for real and share that on the internet? Come on,” Verhoeven told MMA Junkie. “You’ve got to be kidding me. But that’s the mindset of the world today. They’re all like, ‘Yo, what’s on the internet, that’s what’s for real.’ Come on. We’re too smart for that. We’ve been playing this game for such a long time and that’s one of the reasons we’ve been dominating for such a long time, because we’re trying to outsmart everybody. So it’s definitely not a thing we would be posting. We were just having fun.
“Tom had to stay in shape and ready for either potentially fighting either Stipe or Jon at (UFC 309). So we were just having fun and imitating Jon a little bit, going left to right and moving around. That’s what we were doing. It’s not a true something you can analyze like, ‘He wasn’t looking that good vs. Rico.’ Because believe me. Tom is an amazing kickboxer. He would give definitely give the top three in GLORY their hands full in a fight. Every time he comes we talk and he’s such an amazing listener and he’s a learner. Every time I give him stuff, he comes back and he masters the trick I told him. I love it.”
Verhoeven said he ultimately knows the truth of what happens between Aspinall and himself when they are going at full speed and the camera aren’t running. It gives him extreme confidence that Aspinall would be the one to hand Jones his first true defeat in MMA competition, but it remains to be seen if the UFC can finalize the fight.
As goofy as Verhoeven thinks it is for anyone to look at his public sparring videos with Aspinall as having any substantial value, he doesn’t mind as long as it leads to the Jones fight coming to fruition.
“He has to take that fight,” Verhoeven said. “I understand his position. I understand why he’s not really eager to take that fight, because Tom’s a different type of animal. He’s a different type of monster. He’s fast. He’s agile. He can grapple. He can wrestle. He’s good on the ground. He can box. He can kick box. So I don’t think Jon wants a piece of Tom Aspinall.”
Michael Chandler refutes claims that he struck Charles Oliveira with illegal blows at UFC 309.
[autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] refutes claims that he struck [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag] with illegal blows at UFC 309.
Oliveira (35-10 MMA, 23-10 UFC) managed to fend off Chandler’s (23-9 MMA, 2-4 UFC) late rally to win a unanimous decision in their rematch less than two weeks ago at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Chandler dropped Oliveira late in the fight, and landed an array of shots which many – including the commentators deemed as illegal shots to the back of the head. Oliveira took issue with the blows, but Chandler insists that the shots landed to the side of the ear.
“I’m not going to say I didn’t do anything wrong, OK? I’m not going to say that people couldn’t look at it and splice it and look at it under a fine-tooth comb and a magnifying glass,” Chandler said on “The Ariel Helwani Show.” “But the unified rules of mixed martial arts say that there is a line drawn from the crown of the head down to the neck, one-inch variance on either side.
“So you’re talking about a two-inch area on the back of someone’s head that is considered the back of the head. If you watch 90 percent of the shots, at least, most of them, almost all of them, my fist was catching the ear. If you’re catching the ear, that’s not the back of the head. Actually, what you and I would call the back of the head is not the actual definition of what it is. That two-inch strip down the back of the head.”
Referee Keith Peterson did not give official warnings to Chandler for any wrongdoing during the fight, and never warned Chandler about any of his strikes in that sequence.
“A referee who was within two feet away never said one thing about it,” Chandler said. “Then you’ve got commentators who were 35-feet away saying it’s the back of the head and you’ve got other people saying it was back of the head.”
Michael Chandler still thinks he’s superior to Charles Oliveira, despite the results between them showing otherwise.
[autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] still thinks he’s superior to [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag], despite the results between them showing otherwise.
After Chandler (23-9 MMA, 2-4 UFC) suffered a second-round TKO loss to Oliveira (35-10 MMA, 23-10 UFC) in a vacant lightweight title bout at UFC 262 in May 2021, the pair had a rematch this month at UFC 309 in New York. It was “Do Bronx” who prevailed again, earning a lopsided unanimous decision victory over the former three-time Bellator titleholder.
The fight marked Chandler’s return to competition following a two-year layoff where he waited for a fight with Conor McGregor that never materialized. His welcome back to the octagon was a rude one, because he said that he sustained leg damage in the opening round that contributed to his bad night.
Despite all that, Chandler boldly declared that he thinks he beats Oliveira far more often than not.
“I am not happy with my performance,” Chandler told “The Ariel Helwani Show” on Monday. “I would give myself a two out of 10. I cannot overstate how horrible of a performance this was, or set of circumstances it was after that first round, compared to what my vision was. What I am capable of. I believe I beat Charles Oliveira nine times out of 10. Obviously, I’ve lost to him twice now. Two out of two. I have a 100 percent loss rate to Charles Oliveira. So I understand why people might ‘tssk’ at that, roll their eyes at that. But I just am so unhappy with the performance.”
Although Chandler has lost four out of his six UFC appearances, he still has reason to be optimistic about the future. He said he thinks the fight with McGregor will materialize in 2025, but even if it doesn’t, he’s still highly regarded in the eyes of UFC CEO Dana White, who likened him to Arturo Gatti in the aftermath of UFC 309.
“I am so excited to get healthy and I am so excited to give the fans and my supporters and everyone else out there, the performance that they deserve,” Chandler said. “And my coaches. Henri Hooft and Robbie Lawler and these guys, they pour their lives into me. It just was not the performance that I wanted.”
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.
Days after a rematch against Charles Oliveira at UFC 309, Michael Chandler is dealing with some crazy pitting swelling on his leg.
So, you want to be a UFC fighter?
As [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] found out after his rematch with Charles Oliveira at UFC 309, that includes signing up for some insane post-fight effects on the body.
Chandler (23-9 MMA, 2-4 UFC) went 25 minutes against Oliveira (35-10 MMA, 23-10 UFC) in a thrilling Fight of the Night rematch of their first meeting at UFC 262. “Do Bronx” hit Chandler with everything in his arsenal, but couldn’t finish the fight this time around.
Despite the loss, Chandler took pride in entertaining the fans with a furious near-comeback in the final round, but later revealed it was the most pain he’s ever experienced.
For the time being, Chandler is on the road to recovery from the hellacious battle. A part of his post-fight ailments is pitting edema swelling on his leg, which also has a few bruises and scrapes.
Michael Chandler has some insane swelling going on after his rematch with Charles Oliveira at #UFC309. 😳
In a video posted to his Instagram Stories, Chandler pressed his fingers into his leg and showed off the deep indention that remained.
According to Osmosis, pitting edema results from excess fluid build-up, and can be resolved on its own in mild cases. Elevating the affected limb helps with recovery.
In another video posted to Instagram, Chandler relayed a health update, in which he stated he has been actively recovering from his rematch with Oliveira by utilizing multiple methods including a hyperbaric chamber, a red light bed and cold plunges. “Iron” is also awaiting results of MRIs, but said he’s not slowing down as he looks ahead to 2025.
Former UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou can relate to the narrative of Jones being afraid to fight Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC). When he opted to sign with PFL, Ngannou was accused of running away from Jones by UFC CEO Dana White. Ngannou agrees with Jones’ assessment on an Aspinall fight not doing too much for his legacy.
“I think there’s a negotiation situation here that’s involved that we don’t know all the ups and downs,” Ngannou told TMZ Sports. “We all know the situation that they use in the negotiation to say, ‘Oh no, he doesn’t want to fight this guy – he’s scared.’ And then that’s how the machine works.
“He’s in the position to claim what he wants, as he said. He said, ‘Aspinall needs that fight. I don’t need it.’ And when you look at it, it’s pretty much true. There’s nothing that he’s going to have more in that fight other than money. But for Aspinall, who’s someone coming and trying to cement his way in the division, that will be everything.”
PFL heavyweight superfights champion Ngannou stakes claim as the world’s No. 1 heavyweight and would love to settle that debate against Jones.
“The reality is, we both know we both want this fight, for sure,” Ngannou said. “And it would be a good fight for us. There’s more to this, like legacy and everything. I mean, I can finish my career at some point, but it will always be great to know that, OK, you faced that guy – that guy who is the best in the sport, to ever do the sport.”
John McCarthy does not see things boding well for Michael Chandler moving forward.
[autotag]John McCarthy[/autotag] does not see things boding well for [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] moving forward.
Chandler (23-9 MMA, 2-4 UFC) rallied late, but was dominated for the most part in his rematch with Charles Oliveira less than two weeks ago at UFC 309. Chandler has now lost four of his past five, with the lone win in that stretch coming in a knockout over the skidding Tony Ferguson at UFC 274.
In fact, McCarthy thinks Chandler’s career will likely start resembling the one of Ferguson (25-11 MMA, 15-9 UFC), who after winning 12-straight fights, has now lost eight in a row.
“Michael Chandler has hit Tony Ferguson status – just being honest … absolutely,” McCarthy said on his “Weighing-In” podcast. “Who’s he going to beat? He looked slow. You cannot look slow in the lightweight division. You’re going to die, and he got outwrestled by a jiu-jitsu guy.”
Chandler’s performance potentially was impacted by a layoff of more than two years he opted to take waiting for Conor McGregor. After he lost to Oliveira, Chandler called out McGregor, but McCarthy isn’t sure where he goes next.
“Dustin doesn’t want to fight him again because of the same things that he f*cking ended up doing in the Oliveira fight,” McCarthy said. “Now I always sit there and say, ‘If you’re not cheating, you’re not trying,’ but don’t sit there and f*cking tell me that he didn’t hit him to the back of the head.
“I don’t give a f*ck if your fist is going on the other side of his ear, when your forearm is hitting him to the back of the head, it’s the f*cking back of the head. … I’m not saying he’s got seven losses in a row (like Ferguson) – I’m saying he’s on the same path as Tony Ferguson.”
Michael Chandler spoke to Donald Trump after his UFC 309 loss. What did Trump tell him?
[autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] had quite the audience watching him cage side for his UFC return.
This past Saturday, [autotag]Donald Trump[/autotag], soon to serve a second term as president of the U.S., was front row, watching the main card action of UFC 309 pay-per-view at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Chandler (23-9 MMA, 2-4 UFC) competed in the co-main event in a highly anticipated rematch against Charles Oliveira (35-10 MMA, 23-10 UFC). Unfortunately for Chandler, he lost a unanimous decision, but that didn’t stop him from approaching Trump when the fight ended.
“I shook his hand, and he said, ‘Awesome fight. You’re a warrior,'” Chandler recalled, speaking on Bussin with the Boys. “He whispered in my ear – and there’s a really cool shot of him whispering in my ear – and he was just like, ‘You’re one bad mofo,’ type of deal. It was pretty cool, and I was like, ‘Well, you are (a bad mofo). Thank you for saving our country.'”
Chandler’s return at UFC 309 marked his first fight since November 2022. He sat on the sidelines waiting for a Conor McGregor fight that did not materialize, which prompted a pivot to the Oliveira rematch.
With the loss, Chandler is 1-4 in his most recent five. He hopes for his next fight to be against McGregor in 2025.
Michael Bisping is not a fan of UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones’ mentality.
[autotag]Michael Bisping[/autotag] is not a fan of UFC heavyweight champion [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag]’ mentality.
Jones (28-1 MMA, 22-1 UFC) retained his heavyweight title with a Round 3 TKO of Stipe Miocic in Saturday’s UFC 309 main event. He continued to dismiss interim heavyweight champ Tom Aspinall and said he’d only continue fighting if he was matched up with light heavyweight champ Alex Pereira.
Jones did later say that he’d need “f*ck you” money to fight Aspinall, but Bisping has an issue with “Bones” going after an easier stylistic matchup. He compared his approach to [autotag]Jake Paul[/autotag], who’s coming off a unanimous decision win over 58-year-old Mike Tyson this past Friday in their Netflix headliner.
“My only issue is as a man, as a fighter, is him saying he doesn’t have this obligation to fight these young up-and-coming, hungry, dangerous guys that have an ability to beat him,” Bisping said on his “Believe You Me” podcast. “I don’t get that. That’s what my problem is with Jake Paul.
“Fighting guys that (Jones) knows he can beat – Alex Pereira, he has a very blatantly obvious path to victory. He just took down Stipe. He took down Ciryl Gane. He will take down Alex Pereira. Would he be able to take down Tom? That’s the question. That’s the fight. That’s what we want to see.”
Bisping liked what he saw out of Jones in his performance against Miocic, where he was able to land a big takedown in Round 1 and some brutal ground and pound. Jones then showed off the diversity in his striking by finishing Miocic with a spinning back kick to the body.
“The version of Jon Jones that we saw Saturday night – I’ve always said I think Tom would beat Jon,” Bisping said. “But when I was watching this Saturday night, I was like, ‘Jon looks big. Jon looks fast. Jon looks like he’s got the ability to go five rounds if he wants to or he needs to.’ I believe Jon would give him some problems. I believe that is a real fight that the world wants to see.”
Jon Jones is back on top of the MMA Junkie pound-for-pound rankings. Is his No. 1 spot justified? The MMA Junkie crew debates live.
[autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] successfully defended his heavyweight title in the UFC 309 main event, and now, the debate about his placement in the pound-for-pound rankings rages on.
Was the performance worthy of landing ahead of stellar talents such as Alex Pereria, Ilia Topuria, Islam Makhachev and Francis Ngannou?
In a special live debate, MMA Junkie’s Simon Samano, Matthew Wells, Mike Bohn, “Gorgeous” George Garcia, and Brian “Goze” Garcia will get together to debate Jones’ landing spot in the P4P rankings.
Watch this special live stream in the video above and submit your questions in the YouTube live chat.
