Tom Aspinall’s Lucrative Backup Pay for UFC 309 Revealed

Tom Aspinall, the UFC interim heavyweight champion, may not have stepped into the Octagon at Madison Square Garden during UFC 309, but he still walked away with a hefty $200,000 paycheck for serving as the backup fighter for the highly anticipated bout between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic....CONTINUE READING>>>

Details of Aspinall’s backup payday emerged after a leaked text exchange between him and UFC’s Hunter Campbell went viral. The conversation revealed Aspinall asking if it was acceptable to have a drink, as it appeared both Jones and Miocic would compete as planned. Campbell advised Aspinall to hold off until the fighters made their walk to the Octagon, which they ultimately did.

Jones secured a dominant third-round TKO victory over Miocic, who subsequently announced his retirement. Aspinall, meanwhile, fulfilled his role by making weight (under the 265-pound limit) and staying ready to fight either opponent if needed.

Despite being sidelined, Aspinall remains a prime contender for the undisputed heavyweight title. However, Jon Jones has expressed reluctance to fight Aspinall, stating he would require an “obscene payday” to consider the matchup. Jones has shown more interest in a superfight with light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira. If Jones vacates the heavyweight title, Aspinall could be promoted to champion, although that scenario lacks the ideal fanfare for his crowning moment.

At just 31 years old, Aspinall has the potential to dominate the heavyweight division, which is currently in one of its weakest eras in over a decade. Whether through a fight with Jones or a direct title promotion, Aspinall seems poised to lead the division for years to come.

What’s Next for the UFC?
The UFC heads to Macau, China, for an action-packed card featuring Petr Yan vs. Deiveson Figueiredo as the headliner.

Full Card Lineup:

• Petr Yan vs. Deiveson Figueiredo
• Xiaonan Yan vs. Tabatha Ricci
• Ozzy Diaz vs. Mingyang Zhang
• Kenan Song vs. Muslim Salikhov
• Cong Wang vs. Gabriella Fernandes
• Volkan Oezdemir vs. Carlos Ulberg
• Carlos Hernandez vs. Nyamjargal Tumendemberel
• Xiaocan Feng vs. Ming Shi
• Kiru Sahota vs. Dong Hoon Choi
• Su Young You vs. Balgyn Jenisuly
• Kangjie Zhu vs. Bin Xie
• Lone’er Kavanagh vs. Jose Ochoa
• Long Xiao vs. Quang Le
• Maheshate Hayisaer vs. Nikolas Motta