Tom Aspinall reacts to Jon Jones removing hand from his shoulder during tense run-in: “I wasn’t there to be disrespectful”

Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall recently had a tense moment, and the interim UFC heavyweight champion has now responded to the brief encounter.

Jones and Aspinall were able to have a brief conversation during the Arnold’s Sports Festival UK in Birmingham, England. Aspinall put his hand on “Bones'” shoulder, but Jones calmly took his hand off of him. The two did have a cordial conversation about a potential fight, but Jones turned down a face-to-face photo with Tom. Instead, he opted for a regular side-by-side picture with Aspinall.

While the chat between the two wasn’t explosive, their meeting was certainly tense. Now, Aspinall has spoken out about it.

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Tom Aspinall Responds To Tense Moment With Jon Jones

Aspinall was interviewed by JNMEDIAUK shortly after the face-to-face between Tom Aspinall and Jon Jones. The interim UFC Heavyweight Champion insisted that he meant no disrespect when he put his hand on the UFC heavyweight titleholder Jones (via Sportskeeda).

“I think he thought I was putting my hand on his shoulder being disrespectful. But I wasn’t there to be disrespectful. I was doing it in a friendly way, I’m not trying to cause any beef. I’m trying to fight the guy and take his belt. I have no beef with the guy and just wanted to meet him.”

Jones will reach the age of 37 in July, and many have been wondering what his future holds after his inevitable clash with Stipe Miocic. “Bones” did tell Submission Radio that he isn’t shutting the door on a matchup with Aspinall entirely.

“The Tom fight is definitely not off the table,” Jones said. “Especially with how I’ve been feeling being out here. I feel just totally reinvigorated and just re-energized being around all these fans. So, I can’t just walk away. So, the ball is rolling in a really positive direction for me to continue my career.”