Tom Aspinall reveals why the long wait for Jon Jones fight is a blessing in disguise

Tom Aspinall’s star has been rising fast in the UFC heavyweight division, but 2025 hasn’t gone exactly as planned. After demolishing Curtis Blaydes in just 60 seconds at UFC 304 last summer, the interim champion looked set for a blockbuster clash with Jon Jones. Yet, frustrating negotiations have kept Aspinall on the sidelines far longer than expected. Despite the lost time during what should be the prime of his career, Aspinall now admits the delay could actually be working in his favor — and for a very personal reason.

While UFC fans have been impatiently waiting for Tom Aspinall’s shot at Jon Jones, the English powerhouse has quietly been fighting a very different kind of battle — his health.
Speaking candidly alongside his father in a video posted over the weekend, Aspinall opened up about the struggles he’s faced outside the Octagon, admitting that 2025 has been unusually brutal for his body.
“As professional athletes or fighters, we don’t like to talk about stuff that’s holding us back,” Aspinall said. “Injuries, illnesses, all that kind of stuff. But this year, I’ve actually been ill more times than I ever have in my life, and we are in April. I got a virus before Christmas, and basically, I’ve had it on and off since.”
Aspinall shared that he remained active despite being unwell, but the constant cycle of illness — including multiple skin infections like ringworm — eventually forced him to dig deeper into his health issues.

“I’ve probably not rested enough. You can probably hear in my voice I’m still a bit nasally, but I’m right at the very end of it now, finally. I’ve had a couple of courses of antibiotics,” he explained. “It has made me look in-depth medically with what’s going on because I keep picking up viruses. Usually, I’ll get ill once a year, if that, with a head cold or whatever. But I’ve been really ill, bed-bound a couple of times. I’ve had ringworm quite a few times and other minor skin infections.”
Ultimately, the time off may have spared Aspinall from fighting at less than 100%. “Looking back, it’s probably a good job I haven’t been active because I haven’t been functioning at 100 percent for a while. We finally have some results in on why that is,” he admitted.
Meanwhile, UFC President Dana White remains bullish about making Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall a reality in 2025. After UFC Kansas City, White told reporters, “Everything you hear is bulls— until we say it. I’ve said it many times, that’s the fight we want to make this year. Still super confident [it happens].”
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With his health finally turning a corner and White pushing for the matchup, Tom Aspinall might soon get his long-awaited shot — and now, he’ll be ready to seize it at full strength.