Aspinall won the interim belt in late 2023, after regular-title holder Jones suffered an injury that ruled him out for a year. In Jones’s absence, Aspinall even defended the interim gold – an unusual move in the UFC – and retained it, before Jones returned and defended his own belt.

UFC president and CEO Dana White has told fans when they can expect to see Jon Jones step into the octagon against either Alex Pereira or Tom Aspinall.