Nov 11, 2023; New York, NY, USA; Tom Aspinall (blue gloves) reacts to beating Sergei Pavlovich (red gloves) during UFC 295 at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

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Tom Aspinall’s Father Furious With UFC’s Handling Of Tom Aspinall’s Undisputed Status

Tom Aspinall's father Andy Aspinall doesn't hold back on the UFC executives way to announce Tom Aspinall's undisputed status!

Nov 11, 2023; New York, NY, USA; Tom Aspinall (blue gloves) reacts to beating Sergei Pavlovich (red gloves) during UFC 295 at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

The UFC heavyweight division has been a mess for these couple of years. Jon Jones held the title while refusing to fight interim champion Tom Aspinall. Fans wanted the unification bout that never happened. Meanwhile, Aspinall defended his interim belt, a thing that is unheard of. The whole situation frustrated everyone involved. Then Jones suddenly retired over the weekend, ending the drama in the most anticlimactic way possible.

But here’s where things get interesting. The UFC decided to announce Aspinall’s promotion to undisputed champion during a press conference in Baku, Azerbaijan. The timing couldn’t have been worse for the British fighter and his team. While Dana White casually dropped the news to reporters, Aspinall was by chance awake at the time in England. His father Andy wasn’t having any of it.

Tom Aspinall’s Father Not Happy With UFC’s Handling Of His Undisputed Status

Picture finding out your son became world champion through a text message at midnight. That’s exactly what happened to Andy Aspinall, who also coaches his son. Hunter Campbell, the UFC’s chief business officer, sent a simple message saying Dana had announced Tom as the new champ. No ceremony, no fanfare, just a casual text in the middle of the night.

Andy didn’t hold back his frustration. He told Campbell he couldn’t think of a worse way to handle such a momentous occasion. The heavyweight championship represents the pinnacle of mixed martial arts achievement. Yet the UFC treated it like announcing a card change or venue switch. Andy felt his son deserved better after nearly 600 days as interim champion.

“I can’t think of a worse way to do it, maybe if they had woken us up to tell us it would’ve been worse. I sent a message back to Hunter saying, ‘I can’t think of a worse way you could have done it. I just think it’s, I don’t know if pathetic is the word. I just feel they didn’t think about it. For me, the heavyweight championship of an organization is quite a big thing and I don’t think Tom deserved to find out at a press conference in the middle of the night.”

Tom Aspinall's father Andy didn't hold back when talking to @PetesyCarroll about how they found out Jon Jones was retiring and Tom was becoming undisputed champion 😳 pic.twitter.com/OQm3C8GLKx
— Uncrowned (@uncrownedcombat) June 24, 2025

The whole situation highlights how the UFC sometimes treats its fighters. They build these athletes into superstars but forget the human element when making big announcements. Andy pointed out that both Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall deserved better. The UFC’s poor communication aside, Tom Aspinall finally got his due recognition. His father’s anger was completely justified given how casually they announced such a significant moment. But, Aspinall’s reign starts now, and the heavyweight division is better for it!

(Image Credit: Wendell Cruz – Imagn Images)

Andy Aspinall

Jon Jones

Tom Aspinall

Zaid Quraishi

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I am a dedicated MMA and Boxing content writer at The Playoffs. I was instantly hooked on MMA after watching the fight between Lyoto Machida vs. Gegard Mousasi back in 2014, and since then, i have been an avid writer with a deep love for the sport and its techniques, providing readers with a thorough understanding of the sport. My favorite aspect of working at The Playoffs is the creative freedom it provides. The diverse range of topics, from listicles and SEO to news articles, keeps me engaged and motivates me to continuously improve my skills! I aim to capture the excitement of the combat sports world in my writing, acting as the middleman between fighters and their die-hard fans. It is kind of like a referee, but with words!