UFC fans only just realising why Tom Aspinall weighed in for UFC 309 despite not featuring on the card

Interim UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall weighed in for UFC 309 despite not featuring on the card and here's why.

The UFC heavyweight championship clash between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic is set to headline Saturday's UFC 309 from New York City, New York.

It will be Jones' first Octagon appearance since March 2023 when he claimed the vacant UFC heavyweight title.

Jones vs. Miocic was scheduled to take place at last year's Madison Square Garden event until 'Bones' suffered an injury.

And should either fighter pull out at the last-minute ahead of their title fight, then Aspinall will fill the void, having travelled to America as the back-up fighter.

That's why he was present at the official UFC 309 weigh-ins as he tipped the scales at 254.8 lbs.

Aspinall hasn't fought since his 60-second demolition of Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 in Manchester earlier in the year.

After his victory, he called for a showdown against Jones, who seems to be doing his best to avoid a unification.

But UFC CEO Dana White insists Jones must face Aspinall if he wants to fight again after UFC 309.

"He’s not fighting Pereira," White told Jim Rome when asked about Jones' plans for the future. "[Pereira] was a middleweight that moved up to light heavyweight. He’s also a kickboxer who has done very, very well in MMA. His wrestling isn’t even near the level of Jon Jones and Jon Jones is way bigger than him."

He added: "If Jon Jones wants to fight again after Saturday night, he will fight Tom Aspinall."

Aspinall, who's 8-1 in the UFC, isn't focused on Jones as he revealed where his focus lies.

"I would like to fight Jon Jones for [the undisputed title]. That would be pretty cool," he explained to The New York Post. "But if it doesn’t happen, I’m not bothered. Like I say, Jon Jones isn’t my focus.

"My focus is the undisputed heavyweight title. Anything else, to me, is pretty irrelevant at this point."