Fast-rising UFC heavyweight phenom Tom Aspinall is sitting just outside the division Top 5 at No. 6 and could find himself in 265-pound title contender with an emphatic victory over Curtis Blaydes in the UFC on ESPN headliner this July in London.
Or not.
“I’m not even interested in it,” Aspinall told MMA Fighting. “I’m not. I never thought that I was going to be talking about a title after five UFC fights, six UFC fights. I feel like I’ve got more work to do. I’ve got a lot more work to do, more proving. I don’t want to be one of these people who gets here by talking. That is not me.”
Aspinall (12-2) is undefeated under the UFC banner at 5-0 with all five victories coming by way of knockout or submission. That said, the hulking Brit has yet to face a punishing wrestler like Blaydes, who can grind hard for all five rounds.
“Curtis Blaydes is probably the toughest fight in the division for me stylistically,” Aspinall continued. “But I’m okay with that because that pushes me to a whole new level. That pushes me to levels I’ve never been before, and that’s what I need. If I’m with someone that’s going to make me comfortable, I’m going to stay exactly where I am and do the exact same work that I’ve been doing.”
The 31 year-old Blaydes (16-3, 1 NC) leads the division with 62 takedowns landed.
“If you’re going to give me someone that I think is a scary fight and you’re going to give me fear, you don’t want to see me scared, because I end up doing stuff like I did in the O2 the time I fought,” Aspinall said. “I end up doing some crazy stuff that I’ve never done before. So me with a massive fight with a really tough guy, that’s dangerous. That’s dangerous for any heavyweight.”
Aspinall turned 29 back in March.