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Tom Aspinall and Curtis Blaydes are set to go to war in the co-main event of UFC 304 on July 27. The pair will do battle for the interim heavyweight title, with current undisputed champion Jon Jones recovering from injury.
It will be their second time facing off, with the pair having previously headlined UFC London in 2022. However, the bout ended in quick fashion after Aspinall suffered a torn ligament in his knee 15 seconds into Round 1.
Ahead of the much anticipated event, fans couldn't help but react to the poster released by UFC India's official Instagram account for the upcoming heavyweght title clash.
In a since deleted Instagram post, UFC India shared this:
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The post caused much debate amongst fans, who were eager to unravel the meaning behind the poster. @stoflastresorts joked that the pair had committed a hit-and-run on the undisputed champion 'Bones', and wrote:
"They ran over Jon Jones in a hit and run."
There were some fans who implied that Britain's colonial history in India played a role in the Instagram post. @nickprincipe7 and @abhirajpoot77 wrote:
"Never forget... how much India hates the Brits."
"It has a very deep meaning."
See fan reactions to UFC India's Tom Aspinall vs. Curtis Blaydes poster below:
Tom Aspinall discusses his high stakes clash with Curtis Blaydes
Tom Aspinall has admitted that he is more "scared" ahead of his clash with Curtis Blaydes than he was ahead of his short-notice bout against Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295.
The Manchunian faced Pavlovich, arguably the most feared KO artist in any division at the time, on several weeks notice for the interim heavyweight title after Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic, the original UFC 295 headliner, was canceled.
Aspinall knocked out his fellow heavyweight in Round 1 to become the interim champion, and will now defend the title against 'Razor' in a highly anticipated rematch.
Ahead of their clash, the 31-year old was interviewed by TNT Sports, where he said:
"I'm probably more scared for this one that I was for the last one... This time I'm fighting in Manchester for a heavyweight title against a guy who's technically already beaten me. It doesn't come [with] much more stakes than that."
Watch Tom Aspinall's interview below (0:55):
