Tom Aspinall shuts down proposed future fight ahead of UFC 321 title defense

Provided he walks away with the UFC heavyweight title on Saturday, Tom Aspinall has no intention of sharing the Octagon with top contender Ante Delija in a potential title fight.

Formerly the UFC’s interim heavyweight champion, Aspinall is set to try and defend the division’s undisputed title for the first time this weekend opposite fellow former interim titleholder Ciryl Gane in the main event of UFC 321.

Aspinall already defended his interim belt once before Jon Jones retired and vacated the heavyweight title, and now many fans are curious to see what an undisputed title reign may look like for the Englishman after he defeated a number of the division’s top contenders on his way to the top.

Tom Aspinall Shuts Down UFC Title Fight With Ante Delija

Speaking with Spinnin Backfist ahead of UFC 321, Aspinall was asked to elaborate on his previous claim that he wouldn’t his belt against former PFL Heavyweight Champion Delija if the option was ever presented to him.

“I definitely didn’t say that to catch headlines, "Aspinall explained. "I was literally just speaking from the heart on that. I’ve got a rule, where, if guys who have been in my house, and been around my family or vice versa, that I just can’t envision myself fighting them at all.”

Ante Delija (blue gloves) before the fight against Marcin Tybura (red gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Accor Arena. | Per Haljestam-Imagn Images

Currently the UFC’s #9-ranked heavyweight contender, Delija knocked out perennial top-ranked heavyweight Marcin Tybura in the first round of his UFC debut in September and earned a “Performance of the Night” bonus following his first trip to the Octagon.

Who Could Challenge Aspinall Next After UFC 321?

Delija will try to keep climbing the rankings when he meets #6-ranked Waldo Cortes-Acosta in November, but Aspinall is adamant that the pair won’t be fighting one another while he still holds the division’s title.

Tom Aspinall (blue gloves) reacts to beating Sergei Pavlovich (red gloves) during UFC 295 at Madison Square Garden. | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

“It’s weird, because I’m in a bit of a different position. Like, if both of us guys were kind of ready for a title shot, then we would have to fight, because it’s both of our dreams. But I’m already at the point where I am the champion, and he’s still got a few fights to go. So, if everything works out well, that’s never gonna be a problem for us, I don’t think.”

The lone setback in Aspinall’s UFC career was a 15-second injury loss to Curtis Blaydes at UFC London in 2022, a result that he avenged in his most recent outing at UFC 304 when he defended the interim heavyweight belt by knocking Blaydes out in just 60 seconds.

Tom Aspinall (red gloves) fights Marcin Tybura (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at O2 Arena. | Per Haljestam-Imagn Images

The Englishman’s list of UFC wins already includes Top 10-ranked heavyweights Tybura, Sergei Spivac, Sergei Pavlovich, and Aexander Volkov as well as Blaydes, and it will be interesting to see who the UFC might try to match Aspinall up with next if he’s able to defeat #1-ranked Gane in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.

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