Tom Aspinall Serves as Backup for Jones–Miocic
Tom Aspinall was the official backup for Jones vs. Miocic at UFC 309, where Jon Jones won by TKO. Aspinall did not enter, as UFC’s results show.
The Main Event
UFC 309 took place at Madison Square Garden in New York. Jon Jones defeated Stipe Miocic by TKO at 4:29 of Round 3. Aspinall remained the interim champion and backup; the scheduled title bout went ahead without him.
The matchup had originally been scheduled for UFC 295 in November 2023, but Jones withdrew with an injury. The rescheduled fight finally happened a year later.
Aspinall’s Rise to the Undisputed Title
While Jones and Miocic’s bout was delayed, Tom Aspinall won the interim heavyweight title with a first-round knockout of Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295. He defended it with a first-round TKO of Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 in July 2024.
Jones announced his retirement in June 2025, and the UFC elevated Aspinall from interim champion to undisputed heavyweight champion, as UFC reported. His first defense against Ciryl Gane headlined UFC 321 in October 2025, but ended in a no contest at 4:35 of Round 1 after an accidental eye poke left Aspinall unable to continue, according to UFC’s event report.
White’s Confirmation
Before UFC 309, UFC CEO Dana White confirmed Aspinall would be the backup and said he was next in line if anything prevented Jones or Miocic from competing. The main event went ahead as scheduled, so the backup was not needed.
The Road Ahead
Jones’s retirement initially cleared the way for Aspinall to lead the division. The Gane bout then ended without a result, and Aspinall’s ongoing eye complications ultimately forced a change in title status. On September 14, 2026, Aspinall vacated the heavyweight championship while recovering; he said the decision was not a retirement from the sport, according to Reuters.
Implications for the Division
Aspinall’s backup designation was a contingency for UFC 309, not a title opportunity that night. He later became undisputed champion after Jones retired, but his first defense against Gane ended in a no contest. The title was subsequently vacated while Aspinall dealt with the eye injury, leaving the heavyweight division to move forward without him for now.
