MMA confidential: ‘Runner-up for prom queen’ Tom Aspinall and the nature of UFC interim titles

Tom Aspinall stunned Sergei Pavlovich with punches to win the UFC interim heavyweight title at UFC 295 in November. Since then, he can only send photos via social networks.

Aspinall is asking – begging, in some cases – for something that should be the natural next step for an interim champion: a fight against the undisputed champion to unify the titles. But his keyboard correspondences may be of no use.

Jon Jones is the UFC heavyweight champion, not to mention the greatest MMA fighter of all time. He was scheduled to defend that belt at UFC 295 in New York against Stipe Miocic, who has the best resume in the history of the promotion's heavyweight division. But Jones tore his pectorals, forcing the fight with Miocic to be postponed. The UFC reunited Aspinall and Pavlovich for the interim belt in his place.

When Jones returns from injury, the plan is to book the match with Miocic again. It’s a legacy fight between two future Hall of Famers. Both men are promised a large sum of money for this high-profile clash. Jones wants this fight. Miocic wants this fight. And it’s also the fight the UFC wants.

This leaves Aspinall out in the cold, holding a gold belt that doesn't mean much on the surface. All Aspinall wants to do is prove he is the best heavyweight in mixed martial arts. There's a chance he won't be able to do that against legends like Jones or Miocic, if both drop out after this fight, which is a real possibility.

In most cases, the UFC interim champion has the opportunity to unify the title with the incumbent champion. But not always. Colby Covington and Tony Ferguson were interim champions in their respective divisions and never got the chance to unify the belts.

This situation at heavyweight has many people – perhaps even Aspinall himself – questioning the point of an interim title without a clear path to unification in the near future. ESPN asked fighters, coaches and managers during UFC 297 fight week in Toronto about their thoughts on interim belts — and got mixed feelings.

“I think interim titles are being used to work in the promotion's favor,” said a top MMA coach on condition of anonymity. “I think there's no clear rhyme or reason to why they use them, when they don't, who gets them, who doesn't use them.”

There was no need for Aspinall vs. Pavlovich to be for the interim title. Rather, it was a way to soften the UFC 295 card following Jones' loss to Miocic, as well as force Aspinall and Pavlovich to fight on short notice. The UFC decides interim title fights arbitrarily. There is no established rule. Sometimes champions can be gone for several months, or even a year, without an interim title fight taking place. Other times, like when Francis Ngannou won the heavyweight title in 2021, the UFC arranged an interim title fight with Ciryl Gane and Derrick Lewis five months later.

“If the UFC always knew it was going to be Jones and Stipe, then there was no reason to do an interim to muddy the waters,” one coach said. “You have a finalist for prom queen? Like f…, dude.”

The idea of ​​an interim titleholder isn't a bad one at first glance. If a champion is injured and has to be out for an extended period of time – and Jones could be out eight months or more – then this is a way to keep the division active and moving. At least in theory. Under these circumstances, Aspinall's path is unclear as Jones appears unwilling to fight him next. So does Miocic, the former two-time champion who turned down a fight against Aspinall at UFC 300.

Maybe Aspinall will end up defending the interim belt. This has been done before by interim champions Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Renan Barao, but not since Barao did it 11 years ago. If Aspinall does, there's a pretty decent consolation prize. According to managers, in many cases, interim champions are paid like undisputed champions. So no, Aspinall might not get a chance at Jones. But his next fight, if he defends the interim title, will be more lucrative for him.

“It all depends on how your manager negotiates,” said one manager who has represented undisputed and interim champions. “I can tell you that for the one interim champion we had, he was paid exactly like he was champion. And the incidental fees were exactly like he was champion. … I'm all for it. [interim titles]. I think the difference in salary is significant, the difference in incidentals – tickets, hotel rooms, flights. That all changes as interim champion. »

Another manager said that given the salary structure, the “acting” distinction doesn't mean much in the grand scheme of things.

“At the end of the day, you have to wear that belt everywhere,” the manager said. “There's really no, 'Oh, but you're the temp.' Nobody really cares What's the difference between Aspinall having an interim title and Jamahal Hill having the real title? [light heavyweight] one because [Jiří Procházka] did he give it up? It's the same thing.”

In a perfect world, the UFC champion would be the best fighter in the world in his respective weight class. But it doesn't always work that way. The UFC title is a promotional title. It's not like winning the Super Bowl or the World Series. Being a UFC champion is by far the greatest achievement in MMA. But it can also be circumstantial and based on timing, like the aforementioned scenario in which Procházka drops the 205-pound title due to injury and Hill wins the vacant title last year by defeating Glover Teixeira.

Many people already believe Aspinall is the best heavyweight in the world, and few would say he is the future of the division. Aspinall is 30 years old. On the other side, Jones is 36 years old and Miocic is 41 years old.

All Aspinall asks for is a chance to prove he's the best. And it's hard to do that, all things aside, without getting in the cage with Jones or Miocic. It's like old Ric Flair saying, “To be the man, you gotta beat him.

“If you're an interim champion, in most cases that interim champion has to fight 'the man' to build his name,” said one former UFC champion. “That Pavlovich fight didn't do much for Aspinall's name value and pay-per-view value. He needs Jones or Stipe.”