Tom Aspinall explains why the Jon Jones drama is more mentally taxing than his near-career-ending injury

Tom Aspinall recently appeared on the MightyCast podcast, where he shared that the ongoing Jon Jones drama is more mentally taxing than his potentially career-ending injury.

Aspinall suffered a gruesome knee injury in his first bout against Curtis Blaydes in July 2022. The fight was called off after just 15 seconds into the first round and Blaydes was handed the TKO win. As a result, the Englishman was sidelined due to the injury and did not compete for a year.

The Englishman is now the longest reigning interim champion in UFC history, having won the title in 2023 against Sergei Pavlovich. He defended his belt last year by making quick work of Blaydes in their rematch. UFC head honcho Dana White has said that the title unification bout against 'Bones' is bound to happen; however, there has not been any official confirmation.

The 32-year-old told Demetrious Johnson that the wait for a fight with Jones has been mentally challenging, as he has to remain switched on at all times

"I constantly had little goals that I could have worked towards, whereas now it's like— just be ready, and we'll let you know. It's kind of difficult mentally. The fight against Jon Jones is another thing, this thing is the tricky bit where I really have to stay switched on, stay motivated, and I'm trying my best. It's tough sometimes."

Check out Tom Aspinall's comments below (59:26):

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Jon Jones casts doubt over Tom Aspinall fight after recent retirement claims

Jon Jones recently spoke with Fight Nights Global founder Kamil Gadzhiev on FaceTime, during which he hinted at a possible retirement from MMA—casting doubt on a potential fight with Tom Aspinall. When Gadzhiev jokingly suggested that Jones had ten more years left in the sport, 'Bones' promptly dismissed the comment, insisting that his fighting career is over.

"I'm done. I'm done."

Check out Jon Jones' comments below: