‘I was blacklisted’…. Tom Aspinall claims he was barred from attending key UFC 309 event amid Jon Jones feud

Tom Aspinall says he was barred from the UFC 309 press conference.

On Thursday evening, Jon Jones, Stipe Miocic and a bunch of other fighters from the card came together to promote Dana White’s latest show at Madison Square Garden in New York.

However, the interim heavyweight champion claims he was prevented from attending, despite being the backup fighter for the UFC 309 main event on Saturday night.

Tom Aspinall revealed all during a chat with UFC legend and fellow Jones rival Daniel Cormier.

READ MORE: ‘Knock it off’… Jon Jones fumes as Dana White confirms UFC 309 winner must fight Tom Aspinall

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty ImagesTom Aspinall banned from UFC 309 press conferenceAspinall has travelled across the pond to be a part of UFC 309 fight week.

So, fans immediately noticed when he was missing at one of the major pre-fight events, and that prompted Cormier to probe him on the subject when they spoke.

“I’ve gotta pull you up there ‘DC’ a little bit,” Aspinall said.

“I asked to be at the press conference and was told, ‘No’.

“I was trying to go. I got blacklisted from the press conference.”

Aspinall went on to accuse Jones of ducking him after the consensus greatest fighter of all time recently expressed his desire to face Alex Pereira, Jamahal Hill or Derrick Lewis instead of the heavy-handed Englishman.

He added: “Yes. He definitely is [ducking me]. There’s just an easier path for him, and I understand it.

“I understand that there’s bigger fights out there for him with way less risk and way more money.

“In all honesty, do I think he’s ducking me? Absolutely.”

Jon Jones explains why he’ll never fight Tom AspinallJones has been very honest about his aversion to fighting Aspinall.

The 37-year-old says Aspinall’s attempts at goading him into a scrap have had the opposite effect and he’s now unwilling to unify the heavyweight division.

“If I’m being completely honest, I feel like Tom’s been such an a****** that I don’t want to do business with him,” Jones said. “His fans have been so annoying and obviously you don’t get this far in a career being affected by fans or what not, but he’s just an a******.

“He’s 30 so he’s from this influencer generation where you hop online with the t-shirt sales and all that. I’m past that type of stuff. I’m like bro if you had a little bit more respect then maybe we could have something out.

“I just don’t even want to do business with him – at the end of the day, this is a business. Fighting me gives him the opportunity to change his life forever. I don’t even want to give him the opportunity.

“He just played his cards wrong with me personally. I’m three years from being a 40-year-old grown man. The press conference, going through the whole shebang with him, I’d rather not do.”

READ MORE: Jon Jones says he’s willing to vacate UFC title and ‘fight for fun’ as he names two ‘random’ opponents – neither called Tom Aspinall