Tom Aspinall`s ascent to undisputed champion status perhaps wasn`t announced at the most opportune moment, according to his father and coach.
Having held the interim heavyweight title for nearly 600 days, Tom Aspinall had long sought a unification bout with the renowned champion Jon Jones, but that fight never materialised.
Jon Jones announced his retirement from the UFC over the weekend. UFC CEO Dana White disclosed this decision while answering questions about the heavyweight division`s status during the UFC Baku post-fight press conference in Azerbaijan.
At the same conference, White confirmed Aspinall as the new undisputed heavyweight king.
However, Aspinall`s father and coach expressed dissatisfaction with how the UFC managed the announcement on Saturday night.
Andy Aspinall Criticizes UFC`s Handling: `I can`t think of a worse way you could have done it`
Team Aspinall learned about the championship upgrade around midnight UK time.
Andy Aspinall, Tom`s father, was remarkably frank in his reaction after UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell texted him the news of his son`s promotion to undisputed status.
“Tom was calling me to tell me that Hunter [Campbell] had told him,” Aspinall recounted to Petesy Carroll of Uncrowned.
“Hunter texted me saying, ‘Dana [White] has just announced that Tom is the champ…’ which was the same message he sent Tom.”
“I texted Hunter back saying, ‘I can`t think of a worse way you could have done it’.” He added, “I just think it`s… I don`t know if `pathetic` is the right word, but I feel they didn`t put any thought into it. To me, being the heavyweight champion of an organization is a significant achievement, and I don`t think Tom deserved to find out during a press conference held in the middle of the night.”
“Honestly, I can`t imagine a worse way to announce it,” Aspinall continued. “Perhaps waking us up to tell us might have been worse. We just happened to be awake at the time.
It shows poor management regarding both Jones and Tom. I respect the people working at the UFC, but sometimes they just don`t handle things correctly. While it`s undeniably a massively successful business, I believe something like this deserved more careful consideration, especially after everything we`ve experienced.”
Tom Aspinall Honoured with Mural as Undisputed UFC Champion
Despite the somewhat understated beginning to his reign, Aspinall aims to be a proactive and defending champion in this new chapter.
Prior to his promotion last weekend, Aspinall had secured a long-term partnership with Champion, the well-known sportswear company.
Aspinall was photographed next to a new mural created by Champion, prominently displayed on the side of a building in Manchester, England.
“There is only one Champion,” Aspinall posted on Instagram.
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