Tom Aspinall could have a fight lined up, with one former MMA star believing he noticed a ‘tell’ in the way the Englishman answered a question.
There’s currently no showdown fans want more so than a clash between the UFC’s undisputed and interim heavyweight world champions.
Alas, while Matt Brown doesn’t think Aspinall vs Jon Jones is a similar situation to Conor McGregor vs Michael Chandler, fans are beginning to give up hope that the blockbuster encounter will actually come to fruition.
Adding fuel to that fire, an ex-world title challenger thinks the Brit is about to head in a different direction.
Chael Sonnen thinks Tom Aspinall is fighting Ciryl Gane
Chael Sonnen recently interviewed Tom Aspinall alongside Daniel Cormier.
During their conversation, something the UFC interim heavyweight champion said made the retired fighter believe that a showdown with Ciryl Gane is right around the corner.
In a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Sonnen explained: “Tom says, ‘I will not be fighting Jon Jones, you would know that he is retired’. Tom comes out and says that he is the undisputed champion.
“There was one tell later on in the interview, I said, ‘Alright Tom, let’s say you’re match-maker and you have to match-up Ciryl Gane, do you think that Ciryl should fight for a championship, there’s two of them out there right now’?
“This was the most interesting part of the interview for me, and all I’m doing is trying to play poker with Tom, I’m just looking for a tell.
“He says, ‘No, I don’t think he should be fighting for a title next’. He emphasized ‘think’, which left a massive impression on Daniel Cormier and I that Tom is fighting Ciryl next, but Tom does not agree with that booking, that it should’ve gone to somebody other than Ciryl.”
Chael Sonnen thinks Tom Aspinall isn’t being updated on the UFC’s talks with Jon Jones
A fight between Aspinall and Gane would be a major disappointment for not just the fans, but the interim title-holder himself.
The warrior would love nothing more than to get his hands on his arch-nemesis.
Alas, ‘The American Gangster’ thinks the powerhouse is not fully in the loop with what’s going on behind the scenes.
In a separate video, Sonnen claimed the UFC hasn’t updated Aspinall on its conversations with Jones.