"He's nowhere near as big as I thought" - Tom Aspinall confident of upset victory against Jon Jones after first-ever face-to-face interaction

After meeting in person for the first time, Tom Aspinall is confident of his chances to become the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion against Jon Jones.

Jones, who was in Birmingham, England for a promotional event, met up with the UFC interim heavyweight champion briefly as the two shook hands and exchanged pleasantries. While cordial in the moment, Aspinall released a video on his TikTok channel with his thoughts on the face-off as he left the venue.

In the video, Aspinall said:

"That was the first time I've met [Jon Jones]. He's nowhere near as big as I thought. I thought he was a lot taller. I guess when you fight at light heavyweight your whole career — I mean he's six-four — you look really tall. But I'm a full-grown heavyweight, aren't I? He's nowhere near as big as me... I'll take that one. I think I beat him, definitely."

After nearly a decade as the UFC light heavyweight champion, Jones took a three-year layoff before submitting Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 to become a two-division champion.

Debuting in the UFC five months after Jones' last title defense at light heavyweight, Aspinall put together a 6-1 record in the octagon before earning a short-notice opportunity against Sergei Pavlovich for the interim title. The fight was booked due to Jones withdrawing from the event with an injury.

As the two UFC heavyweight champions, Jones and Aspinall have gone back and forth on X since the latter's victory at UFC 295 gave him interim gold. 'Bones' has expressed some interest in potentially fighting Aspinall but has focused most of his attention on a title defense against Stipe Miocic, much to the frustration of the Englishman.

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Why was Jon Jones in the United Kingdom?

A current ambassador for the athletic clothing brand YoungLA, Jon Jones was present in Aspinall's home country for the 2024 Arnold Sports Festival UK. The bodybuilding convention featured popular American bodybuilders Ronnie Coleman and Jay Cutler.

The event was not a competition but rather an exposition for fans, thus leading to the fighter's presence.

Born and raised in Salford, Tom Aspinall's hometown is just over 70 miles away from Birmingham, the city where the festival took place. Per Aspinall's video statement, the 30-year-old appeared to be the naturally bigger man when standing in front of Jones.