“Who’s excited about a legacy fight for the world heavyweight title?” the Brit wrote on social media. “When Stipe last fought and won, the game ‘GTA: San Andreas’ had just come out on PS2. He will next fight for the current title ahead of me, interim champion, active and ranked number one in the world rankings. That makes me very upset.”
“Stipe is one of my favorites. Huge kudos to him for a resume that far exceeds mine. But the UFC has never been about that. The UFC is about who is the best in the world right now, and I believe that’s me, and it’s only right that I be allowed to prove it. Does anyone have any doubt that if you’re the interim champion, your next fight should be for the current title?”
Aspinall also reacted to a fan who suggested he should stop crying and give credit where credit is due to Miocic.
“I agree he’s a legend,” the heavyweight replied. “But I’m selfish and I want to prove I’m the best, so I’ll cry if I feel like it.”
“One last fun fact: Since Stipe won last time, I’ve injured my knee, rehabbed, been out of action for a year, had seven fights in the UFC with four wins over top-ten opponents, and won the interim title on two weeks notice
“There’s no question Stipe has a great resume and is a legend in his own right. So is Tony Ferguson. Maybe we’ll let Tony fight for the reigning title too?”
Tom Aspinall won the interim title on Nov. 11 at UFC 295 in New York, knocking out Russian Sergey Pavlovich in the 69th second of the fight. The organization’s management made the decision to play out the interim title after reigning division champion Jon Jones dropped out of the numbered event with an injury and was scheduled to make a defense against Stipe Miocic.
At the same time, the head of the world’s strongest league, Dana White, said that they will not deprive the American of the title, and will hold a scheduled fight with Miocic after the return of the champion, and Aspinall will defend the interim belt. The most likely candidate to fight the Brit is the winner of the fight between Curtis Blades and Jailton Almeida, which takes place on March 9 at UFC 299 in Miami.