Rising British heavyweight star Tom Aspinall says that the reigning UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones has never fought anybody like him.
Speaking to Michael Bisping and Anthony Smith on their ‘Believe You Me‘ podcast, Aspinall was full of confidence following his first found TKO win over Marcin Tybura.
Aspinall Returns From Injury
Tom Aspinall returned to the O2 arena in London for the first time since his knee blew out in the opening seconds of his last bout with Curtis Blaydes.
Aspinall, who had been out of action for almost a year to the day, looked more impressive than ever in his octagon return. Tom was on an absolute tear before his injury setback and showed that he hadn’t missed a beat against Tybura.
Speaking on the podcast, Aspinall claimed “I’m gonna be the champ one day and I’m levels above guys like Tybura. That’s no disrespect to anybody, that’s just literally how I feel about it.”
A Mental Shift
When asked what it was like to be side-lined with the injury, Aspinall said it was “the worst thing that ever happened to me.”
Throughout interviews leading up to the fight and during fight week, one topic that wasn’t constantly being discussed amongst the media was how Aspinall appeared more confident than ever. Tom’s previous approach of being humble and reserved when asked about what the future held had gone. He was now more direct, determined and confident that he was going to go all the way. Tom still showed class and respect but there was a real ‘eye of the tiger’ feel about his presence during fight week, something which showed in his fight night performance.
When asked by Bisping and Smith what had brought on this character change, Aspinall credited his time out due to the injury and spoke on how he had had a mental shift during his rehabilitation. “I always had the skillset but I’m not sure that I had the mindset to be honest. I was always like, half in and I didn’t wanna be full in, in case I failed. Right now, my whole life is geared toward me being heavyweight champion of the world.”
Aspinall on Jon Jones
Aspinall has clearly returned with two goals, to become heavyweight champion and to be the first man to beat Jon Jones. His immediate goal however, is to keep putting on standout performances to force Jones into a position where he feels like he can’t retire without facing Tom Aspinall.
“I obviously want the fight, it’s a dream fight for me. I’m pushing for it. I want to excite Jon Jones. I want to give him a reason to stick around and be like, this is the guy I need to stick around for.”
When asked how he saw a matchup between himself and Jones playing out, Aspinall said, “I think I match up really well with him. You know, I’m bigger than him, faster than him. He’s never fought somebody faster than a light heavyweight, who’s bigger than him. If I get chance to fight one of the best ever (for the belt), that’s what dreams are made of.”
Jones or Miocic?
Anthony Smith asked Aspinall for his opinion on the upcoming clash between Jones and Miocic and it was clear to see who Tom was favouring in the bout. Tom claimed that Stipe’s age and miles on the clock would likely be a big factor. He expects Jones to come through with his hand raised in a clash which Aspinall believes is between the GOAT (Greates Of All Time) against the heavyweight GOAT.
Tyson Fury Vs Francis Ngannou
Aspinall was also asked for his opinion on the upcoming boxing match between lineal boxing heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and former UFC heavyweight champ Francis Ngannou.
Tom revealed that he was actually going to be assisting Tyson Fury to prepare for the bout after Fury reached out to ask Tom for sparring. He gave Francis “a puncher’s chance” but very little more than that.
What is Next for Tom Aspinall?
Following Tom’s win over Tybura, he laid out a very clear roadmap to the title. In his post fight octagon speech, he claimed that he would be ringside at UFC Paris to watch Cyril Gane and Sergey Spivak. He then declared that he would beat the winner and then go on to be the first man to beat Jon Jones.
However, another man that may be standing in Aspinall’s way is the ferocious knockout puncher Sergei Pavlovic. Pavlovic is expected to be the backup fighter for Jones Vs Miocic and is likely next in line for a shot at the title.
Aspinall joked that Pavlovic is a scary guy who “makes me nervous” but insisted that he would happily take the fight next if that is what would get him a shot at the title.
All quotes are to be credited to www.combatsportsuk.co.uk and were taken from the ‘Believe You Me‘ podcast.
Tell us, who do you think is next for Tom Aspinall? Does Jones stick around if he is successful against Stipe? If so, can Aspinall become the first man to defeat Jon Jones? Leave your comments in the section below.
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
