Jon Jones recently sent fans into a frenzy when he claimed that he and Tom Aspinall had “agreed” to the terms while discussing the potential fight with the UFC. He added that the duo were waiting for the UFC to make things official, so it’s up to Dana White and his matchmaking team now. But then Aspinall threw a curveball during an interview when he claimed to have moved on from Jones, who’s retired, and has a date in hand for his next fight.

“Guys, why are we still talking about Jon? He’s retired. He’s done… I’ll tell you something. I’ve got a date and a location,” Tom Aspinall told Daniel Cormier and Chael Sonnen on the Good Guy/Bad Guy show. Jon Jones might have enjoyed trolling the interim champion, but now, he might be losing the fight, sure, after the promotion announced their upcoming event in France.

Jon Jones could lose the Tom Aspinall fight as UFC returns to France

During Tom Aspinall’s aforementioned interview, the only question that bugged the hosts after the Englishman claimed to have moved on from Jon Jones was who could be next. The Englishman is likely to be promoted to the undisputed champion status if his claims about Jones’ retirement turn out to be true. So, that would lead Aspinall to fight the surging contenders like Ciryl Gane or Alexander Volkov.

Now, there’s a history between Ciryl Gane and Tom Aspinall as they had a back-and-forth back in 2023. The now-interim champion even called for a fight against the Frenchman at UFC 304. Unfortunately for Aspinall, ‘Bon Gamin’ declined due to his engagement with a movie filming. Daniel Cormier brought that up during the recent interview, to which Aspinall said, “I’ll kick his b–t same as everybody else,” with a cheeky smile. Although he played coy with the two legends, a recent announcement from Dana White and Co. might raise some eyebrows.

The UFC is heading back to France at the Accor Arena for a fourth Fight Night. And, it’s likely that the event features their biggest star, Ciryl Gane. Taking place on September 6, there are chances that Tom Aspinall fights ‘Bon Gamin’ at this event. In case you’re wondering why a title fight would be defended in a Fight Night event, well, it is rare, but it has happened. One of those instances was when Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko fought for the flyweight belt back in 2019.

Moreover, Tom Aspinall has been sitting on the sidelines long enough as the heavyweight title scene has been on hold. So, this urgency could also lead to a potential matchup between Gane and Aspinall. Besides, Gane spoke about wanting to fight Aspinall, even though he turned down the callout.

Gane wanted to fight Aspinall in early 2024

Ciryl Gane had plans to fight Tom Aspinall, claiming that they both wanted it. But after Gane declined the fight, citing engagements in a movie, there was the notion that he was ‘ducking’ the Manchester native. However, there was no offer on the table from the UFC, according to the former interim champion. After his win at UFC 310, Gane doubled down on his wish to fight the Englishman, claiming that he wanted to fight Aspinall in March last year.

“Yeah, yeah, of course, for March – but it was not possible. He said I refused him in September, but the UFC didn’t propose me any contract with him [for then],” Ciryl Gane told Ariel Helwani. “Like I’ve said, I’m looking for the best for me, and every time is in front of me, and this is exactly what he’s doing now – just looking in front of him. I didn’t (call him out) on the social media, but the UFC knew this is a fight that we’re looking for.”

Well, Jon Jones may be keeping his ears open after what Tom Aspinall had to say during the recent interview. It is one of the fights that has the potential to break company records. However, keeping the fans and the heavyweight division for that fight to happen may not be a wise risk to take on Dana White’s end. But what do you think? Will Ciryl Gane be the one to fight Tom Aspinall? Let us know in the comments down below.