Michael Bisping believes Stipe Miocic should avoid Tom Aspinall at all costs.
According to interim heavyweight champion Aspinall (14-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC), Miocic turned down a fight with him at UFC 300 on April 13 in favor of keeping his title fight with heavyweight champion Jon Jones intact.
Bisping thinks former champ Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) would be risking too much if he entertained the idea of fighting Aspinall.
“The man’s 42 years old in August. He hasn’t fought since he got knocked out against Francis Ngannou almost three years ago,” Bisping said on his YouTube channel. “And in that three years, let’s be honest, you’re declining, you’re getting older, so yeah, go fight Tom Aspinall, everyone thinks you’re the man, but what’s at risk? Well, the fight with Jon Jones.”
Miocic hasn’t competed since losing his heavyweight title to Francis Ngannou in March 2021. He was scheduled to challenge Jones last November at UFC 295, but a torn pectoralis tendon forced “Bones” out of the bout.
Both Jones and UFC CEO Dana White seem intent on keeping the fight between Jones and Miocic alive, and Bisping agrees.
“Now I’m a fan of Tom Aspinall, OK, but if I’m managing Stipe, I say you sidestep Tom Aspinall all day long,” Bisping said. “Even if Stipe looked kind of interested, I would give him a slap in the face. I’m like, ‘What are you talking about?’ Fighters need to be protected from themselves, and if Stipe was thinking about that, it just doesn’t make smart business sense.”
