Fighter Spotlight: Tom Aspinall
Tom Aspinall was born in Salford, England, on April 11, 1993. His martial arts journey started young, training jiu-jitsu from age seven. He would then train in boxing and wrestling before starting Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, following in his father’s footsteps. Aspinall won the British Open in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in every belt class except black. When he was a teenager, his father became the BJJ coach at Team Kaobon, leading him to take an interest in MMA and ultimately transition to the sport. Not long after this, at 16, he grew from 5’8” to 6’5”, completely altering his athletic ability. He would make his amateur MMA debut at the age of 18, earning an amateur record of 9-1 with eight finish victories.
MMA Beginnings
Aspinall made his professional MMA debut in 2014, earning a 5-2 record with all finish victories between 2014 and 2016. Following this, he would take a hiatus from the sport, unsure of what his future held. During this time, in 2015, he became a training partner for Tyson Fury, who was preparing for his title fight with Wladimir Klitschko. Aspinall intensely studied the legendary Heavyweight, absorbing as much information and experience as possible. He would make it his goal to replicate Fury’s unique footwork inside the cage. He credits Peter Fury as one of the best coaches he’s ever had, stating, “I try and confuse my opponents constantly, and that’s definitely something that’s come from Peter Fury and the Fury family.”
Following his 2-and-a-half-year break from MMA, Aspinall signed a five-fight contract with London-based promotion Cage Warriors. The UFC offered him a contract at this time, but he turned it down, claiming he didn’t feel ready to fight in the world’s premier promotion. With his passion renewed, he’d return to the cage in February 2019. Aspinall earned two consecutive finish wins in less than two minutes, both via TKO. Following these impressive victories, the UFC reached out again; this time, he accepted. Initially scheduled to make his promotional debut in March 2020, his opponent, Raphael Pessoa, pulled out and was replaced by Jake Collier. Ultimately, the event on which the fight was to take place was canceled due to COVID-19.
UFC Arrival
Aspinall finally made his UFC debut in July 2020, winning the bout via TKO in less than one minute. He had a fantastic initial run in the promotion, going 5-0 and winning every bout via finish. He earned four Performance of the Night bonuses, three knockouts, and two submissions within his first five outings. Following two consecutive victories over ranked opponents, Aspinall was given a top-5 opponent in Curtis Blaydes. The two would meet in the octagon in July 2022, headlining a Fight Night card. Unfortunately, Aspinall tore his MCL within the first 15 seconds of the fight, losing the bout via TKO despite only absorbing three significant strikes. This injury would force him to return to the gym again and reassess his career.
While injured, he admits he had to make alterations to his lifestyle. Deciding to truly focus on his training, he would cut off many friends and considerably reign in his social life. Explaining this, he said, “As ruthless as it sounds and as pigheaded as that sounds, sometimes you do have to believe that you’re better than people to get yourself to the next level. But to be elite at anything, you really have to believe: ‘Everyone around me has to be moving in the same direction.’” Following a year of training and recovery, he would return to the octagon almost exactly one year after suffering his injury to face Marcin Tybura in July 2023.
Aspinall would dominate in his return, scoring a TKO victory in 73 seconds and earning yet another Performance of the Night bonus. This victory projected him right back into the Heavyweight title picture, expected to be next in line following Jon Jones's title defense against Stipe Miocic, scheduled for UFC 295 in November 2023. Jones would suffer a pectoral injury just two weeks before the scheduled bout, leading the UFC to grant Aspinall a Heavyweight Interim title bout against Sergei Pavlovich in place of the Jones vs. Miocic fight. Despite a lack of time to prepare, he would impress again, defeating Pavlovich via knockout just 79 seconds into the first round, earning the Interim Heavyweight strap and another Performance of the Night bonus. In just 8 UFC fights, he’s earned numerous impressive accolades, including 6 Performance of the Night bonuses, the shortest average fight time in UFC history (2:10), the largest striking differential in UFC history (4.95), and the least bottom position time in UFC history (0:01).
This Saturday, he will defend his Interim Heavyweight title against former foe Curtis Blaydes. Considering the unfortunate result and extremely short cage time of the first fight, there are many questions to be answered in this matchup. Aspinall, facing a dominant wrestler with heavy hands, can prove his well-roundedness and show off his entire skill set. Regardless of the outcome, he’s proven to be an exceptional fighter with impressive perseverance and will remain at the top of the Heavyweight division for years to come.
