Tom Aspinall has claimed that Stipe Miocic turned down the chance to fight him at UFC 300. 

Aspinall’s comments show his increasing desire to fight Jon Jones. Aspinall is the current Heavyweight Interim Champion, having beaten Sergei Pavlovich via a first-round knockout. The Brit has expressed his desire to fight Jones for the UFC Heavyweight Title. 

But Bones’ current injury problems have prevented that. His title defense against Miocic at UFC 295 failed after he pulled out due to an injury to his pectoral muscle in sparring, which required surgery. He has also undergone further surgery on his elbow, as Aspinall wanted the UFC to strip Jones.

The Brit demanded that he fight Miocic for the title, with the winner facing Jones. Dana White rejected that suggestion, giving Aspinall the chance to either defend his interim belt or wait to face Jones after his return. But it appears that Miocic was offered to him, only for Stipe to say no to the fight. 

Aspinall On Miocic

“While we are talking about @StipeMiocic, my manager was contacted by the UFC asking if I’d like to fight him on Apr 13th. I, of course, accepted.

“A little later, we were told @StipeMiocic doesn’t even want to fight me, and (is) only interested in fighting @JonnyBones. On that note. I will stop crying, accept it ain’t gonna happen and enjoy the fight that me and all the other fans want to see. Legend vs legend for the heavyweight title. Maximum respect guys. Yay,” Aspinall said 

Just as Aspinall has accused Miocic of avoiding him, Michael Chandler has not been impressed by Conor McGregor. 

The pair are expected to face each other on June 29, 2024, after McGregor announced that on New Year’s Day. Chandler’s response suggested that the fight was going ahead, only for Dana White to throw a spanner in the works. 

The CEO of the UFC stated that McGregor’s return is not certain. This is because the UFC has not officially confirmed it. That has left UFC fans with much to ponder, including Chandler, who has not fought since he faced Dustin Poirier in 2022. Although that may be the case, Chandler expects the fight to go ahead. Once it does, he has backed himself to stop the Irishman in style. 

Chandler On McGregor

“The real Conor is a quitter, Conor McGregor will quit in the second round of this fight. I believe I put the pressure on him, hit him with some hard shots, maybe he hits me with a couple, don’t go down, he’s not going be as fast he used to be, he’s not going to have great timing like he used to be.

“Maybe he has the same power, maybe he doesn’t, it’s going to be fun, it’s going to be really really fun. The wrestling is always going to be there, the submissions are always going to be there, and the cage is always going to be there to push him up against and smother him, and turn it into a gritty, dirty fight,” Chandler stated