"I don't want to fight him in an event" - Tom Aspinall releases full footage of surprise interaction with Jon Jones (VIDEO)

After months of chirping back and forth on social media, Tom Aspinall and Jon Jones have finally had a face-to-face encounter at the Arnold Classic in Birmingham, England. A clip of the pair's meetup, which was fairly cordial, was shared on the Englishman's official YouTube channel.

The only tense moment, which was brief, was when Aspinall placed his hand on the UFC heavyweight champion's shoulder. Jones was quick to remove his rival's hand but maintained a veneer of politeness. The two then took part in a photo-op, but there was no face-off, as Jones declined.

Upon walking away from 'Bones', Aspinall was asked about the encounter by the cameraman, and he said:

"Yeah, it was good, mate. All peaceful. I want to fight him, but I don't want to fight him in an event. I want to have a UFC fight with him. I just asked him if he would give me the opportunity one day. He said he's healing up good, so we'll see. We'll see what he does."

Check out Tom Aspinall and Jon Jones coming face-to-face (6:13):

Aspinall has been calling for a bout with Jones for some time now. His campaign to take on 'Bones' only intensified after he captured UFC interim heavyweight gold by knocking out Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295. Unfortunately, Jones is currently recovering from a severe pectoral tear, so a fight may take some time.

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Who else would Tom Aspinall face if not Jon Jones?

Having to stomach the possibility that Jon Jones may indeed retire after facing Stipe Miocic at some point down the line, Tom Aspinall has expressed an interest in avenging his freak injury loss to Curtis Blaydes.

Adding to the possibility of a clash between Aspinall and Blaydes, the latter recently TKO'd the streaking Jailton Almeida at UFC 299. So, it seems that the Englishman may very well defend his interim heavyweight title against Blaydes.