Tag: tom aspinall

Daniel Cormier Brands Aspinall The World’s Best Heavyweight Over Ngannou, Jones

Former two-division UFC champion Daniel Cormier believes Tom Aspinall currently holds the global heavyweight crown over both Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou. The debate surrounding who sits top spot as the world’s best heavyweight has picked up again following a standout performance from Ngannou this past weekend in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Headlining a PFL pay-per-view, […]

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Former two-division UFC champion Daniel Cormier believes Tom Aspinall currently holds the global heavyweight crown over both Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou.

The debate surrounding who sits top spot as the world’s best heavyweight has picked up again following a standout performance from Ngannou this past weekend in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Headlining a PFL pay-per-view, “The Predator” debuted in the SmartCage by battering Renan Ferreira on the ground and rendering the Brazilian unconscious in the very first round. The result came in Ngannou’s first MMA bout since January 2022.

With the Cameroonian back in the discussion, he appears to be battling the UFC’s heavyweight champ, Jones, and his interim counterpart, Aspinall, for the global throne.

And although much of the discussion post-fight for Ngannou has centered around a long-desired clash with Jones, Cormier said during a recent episode of his Good Guy / Bad Guy show alongside Chael Sonnen on ESPN MMA‘s YouTube channel that they would be competing for silver.

After dismissing Ngannou’s claim to superiority over Jones and Aspinall, “DC” said he’d back the Englishman to beat both “The Predator” and “Bones,” leaving him as the best heavyweight in the world.

“I don’t believe he’s the best heavyweight, not Francis,” Cormier said. “I think the best heavyweight is Tom Aspinall, still. I still believe the best heavyweight in the world right now is Tom Aspinall. I think Jon is, but he’s older now. I think Aspinall’s still young, he’s fresh. There is something to not having everything yet. When you have everything, it’s hard, man. This guy Tom still doesn’t have everything. Sure, he’s headlined a couple of pay-per-view. But he’s not making seven figures every time he walks into the Octagon. He hasn’t been making a million dollars for 10 years like Jon Jones.

“I believe that Jones right now has everything. … There was a time he could go through anything to stay champion. Can he still do that? … Can he dig as deep as he did against Alexander Gustafsson?” Cormier continued. “Aspinall sure has a lot of questions, but when you look at these dudes all on paper, I would favor Tom to beat Francis, I would favor Tom to beat Stipe (Miocic), and I would actually favor Tom to beat Jon Jones right now.”

It remains to be seen what lies ahead in MMA for Ngannou, but given his position away from the UFC and the uncertainty surrounding suitable opposition, he may struggle to change the minds of those sharing Cormier’s sentiment.

Aspinall himself has cited Ngannou’s opponent options away from the Octagon as the reason why he doesn’t consider the Cameroonian a candidate for best-heavyweight status.

The Manchester native is confident that he holds that distinction, but he unfortunately won’t have the chance to prove it next time out. Much to his bemusement and the frustration of many fans, Jones won’t be unifying the title next month.

Instead, the former light heavyweight kingpin is set to put his gold on the line at UFC 309 against Miocic, who hasn’t competed since a knockout loss to Ngannou back in March 2021.

Continue Reading Daniel Cormier Brands Aspinall The World’s Best Heavyweight Over Ngannou, Jones at MMA News.

Tom Aspinall previews Max Holloway vs. Ilia Topuria UFC 308 fight: ‘Topuria can put him down’

Tom Aspinall Max Holloway Ilia TopuriaTom Aspinall is hyped for UFC 308 and has taken time to comb over the intricacies that might decide…

Tom Aspinall Max Holloway Ilia Topuria

Tom Aspinall is hyped for UFC 308 and has taken time to comb over the intricacies that might decide the thrilling main event between Max Holloway and Ilia Topuria.

Last in action at UFC 304, Aspinall has been biding his time waiting for Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic to settle their business inside the cage finally. In the meantime, Aspinall is keeping his eyes on the combat sports world and is looking forward to the excellent pay-per-view card coming our way this Saturday, October 28th.

In an interview with Adam Catteral of UFC on TNT Sports, the current UFC interim heavyweight champion broke down all the incoming action and spoke on the stylistic matchup between the two fighters.

Tom Aspinall speaks on the incoming mega Banger between Max Holloway and Ilia Topuria at UFC 308

“Being a bit of a shorter guy, what he does really well, Ilia Topuria, is shorter arms so with this fight, he’s going to be looking to get inside and the body hooks, the low kicks and the shot in is what he’s looking for” Tom Aspinall began (H/T Sportskeeda). “Max Holloway (has a) completely contrasting style.”

“The only similar thing is they both like to box, quite a lot,” Aspinall continued. “Max Holloway’s style, he’ll have his hands quite low and his chin quite high… The volume of punches that he throws in a fight is unbelievable. The guy has got ridiculous conditioning.”

When the UFC interim heavyweight champion was asked if he believed whether or not Topuria would attempt to utilize his grappling, he responded:

“I think he’s going to keep him guessing with the takedowns, yeah. It is (hard to take Holloway down), but the threat is there and sometimes that can affect your defensive boxing a little bit because you’re thinking about the takedowns. The hands are low, you’re getting ready for a shot all the time and punches are coming over the top.”

“I think and I’m going to go out there and say, Ilia Topuria can put him down,” Tom Aspinall continued. “He’s got the power to and he mixes it up so well between the disciplines.”

In the interview below, skip to the 6:00 minute mark to hear Aspinall’s breakdown for yourself.

Tom Aspinall previews Max Holloway vs. Ilia Topuria UFC 308 fight: ‘Topuria can put him down’

Tom Aspinall Max Holloway Ilia TopuriaTom Aspinall is hyped for UFC 308 and has taken time to comb over the intricacies that might decide…

Tom Aspinall Max Holloway Ilia Topuria

Tom Aspinall is hyped for UFC 308 and has taken time to comb over the intricacies that might decide the thrilling main event between Max Holloway and Ilia Topuria.

Last in action at UFC 304, Aspinall has been biding his time waiting for Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic to settle their business inside the cage finally. In the meantime, Aspinall is keeping his eyes on the combat sports world and is looking forward to the excellent pay-per-view card coming our way this Saturday, October 28th.

In an interview with Adam Catteral of UFC on TNT Sports, the current UFC interim heavyweight champion broke down all the incoming action and spoke on the stylistic matchup between the two fighters.

Tom Aspinall speaks on the incoming mega Banger between Max Holloway and Ilia Topuria at UFC 308

“Being a bit of a shorter guy, what he does really well, Ilia Topuria, is shorter arms so with this fight, he’s going to be looking to get inside and the body hooks, the low kicks and the shot in is what he’s looking for” Tom Aspinall began (H/T Sportskeeda). “Max Holloway (has a) completely contrasting style.”

“The only similar thing is they both like to box, quite a lot,” Aspinall continued. “Max Holloway’s style, he’ll have his hands quite low and his chin quite high… The volume of punches that he throws in a fight is unbelievable. The guy has got ridiculous conditioning.”

When the UFC interim heavyweight champion was asked if he believed whether or not Topuria would attempt to utilize his grappling, he responded:

“I think he’s going to keep him guessing with the takedowns, yeah. It is (hard to take Holloway down), but the threat is there and sometimes that can affect your defensive boxing a little bit because you’re thinking about the takedowns. The hands are low, you’re getting ready for a shot all the time and punches are coming over the top.”

“I think and I’m going to go out there and say, Ilia Topuria can put him down,” Tom Aspinall continued. “He’s got the power to and he mixes it up so well between the disciplines.”

In the interview below, skip to the 6:00 minute mark to hear Aspinall’s breakdown for yourself.

Tom Aspinall Questions Francis Ngannou’s Status as an Elite Fighter: ‘These Aren’t the Best Guys in the World’

Tom Aspinall Questions Francis Ngannou's Status as an Elite Fighter: 'These Aren't the Best Guys in the World'Tom Aspinall doesn’t seem to think Francis Ngannou should listed among the world’s best heavyweights. On Saturday, October 19,…

Tom Aspinall Questions Francis Ngannou's Status as an Elite Fighter: 'These Aren't the Best Guys in the World'

Tom Aspinall doesn’t seem to think Francis Ngannou should listed among the world’s best heavyweights.

On Saturday, October 19, ‘The Predator’ will make his long-awaited PFL debut as the promotion premieres its highly anticipated Super Fights pay-per-view series in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. There, Ngannou will square off with the 2023 PFL heavyweight tournament winner Renan Ferreira.

Francis Ngannou

‘Problema’ earned the opportunity to face Ngannou via a 21-second knockout of Bellator heavyweight champion Ryan Bader in February.

Francis Ngannou

With the UFC offering a lackluster APEX card this weekend, all eyes will be on Ngannou’s return to mixed martial arts as he competes against ‘Problema’ for the recently unveiled Super Fights heavyweight world championship.

Tom Aspinall questions francis ngannou’s status as an elite heavyweight mixed martial artist

One fighter who will have his eyes on Saturday’s event is interim UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall. Speaking with Ariel Helwani on Monday, the UK star made it clear that he has nothing but respect for Ngannou and the adversity he’s overcome. However, Aspinall isn’t sure that Ngannou deserves to be in the conversation of elite heavyweight mixed martial artists.

His take is based on the fact that Ngannou is competing against fighters not quite on the UFC level.

“I have a lot of respect for Francis,” Aspinall said. “I have a lot of respect for him, and I really appreciate his story. I really appreciate what he’s done in the sport, but it’s hard to debate right now. The guy he’s fighting, he’s not elite. Do you know what I mean? And the guys he’ll be fighting in the future aren’t elite, and it’s as simple as that. These aren’t the best guys in the world.

“The guy he’s fighting fought a friend of mine and a training partner of mine, Ante Delija (two years ago), and Ante just destroyed him within a minute or two. Took him down, ground and pounded him and stopped him within the first minute, and now this guy’s fighting Francis Ngannou.

“So, the guy isn’t elite, his opponent. Yeah, he’s big. Yeah, he’s powerful. Yeah, he could knock you out, but he’s not an elite heavyweight. I’m not disrespecting him. The elite guys are not in the PFL. The elite guys are in the UFC. It’s difficult to say that (Ngannou) is the best heavyweight in the world when he isn’t fighting elite guys right now” (h/t BJPenn.com).

Thus far, Renan Ferreira is 13-3 in his MMA career with 11 of his victories coming by way of knockout. He is 7-1 under the PFL banner with three no-contests.

Since Ngannou’s last MMA fight against Ciryl Gane in January 2022, ‘Problema’ has competed eight times.

Francis Ngannou

Tom Aspinall On Why It’s ‘Hard’ To Put Ngannou In Best Heavyweight Debate: ‘The Guy He’s Fighting…’ 

Tom Aspinall thinks the quality of Francis Ngannou’s PFL opposition could eliminate him from the best heavyweight discussion. Aspinall, who captured interim UFC gold last year, is currently in pursuit of the undisputed throne formerly occupied by Ngannou. “The Predator” chose to exit the promotion at the start of 2023, and he’s since held lineal […]

Continue Reading Tom Aspinall On Why It’s ‘Hard’ To Put Ngannou In Best Heavyweight Debate: ‘The Guy He’s Fighting…’  at MMA News.

Tom Aspinall thinks the quality of Francis Ngannou’s PFL opposition could eliminate him from the best heavyweight discussion.

Aspinall, who captured interim UFC gold last year, is currently in pursuit of the undisputed throne formerly occupied by Ngannou. “The Predator” chose to exit the promotion at the start of 2023, and he’s since held lineal heavyweight MMA champ status.

Following his departure and subsequent signing with the PFL, Ngannou’s sights drifted to the boxing ring, where he battled Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua in back-to-back blockbuster bouts.

Now, though, the Cameroonian is days away from entering the cage once again, and he still expects to do so as the world’s best heavyweight.

Aspinall has something to say about that, stating during an appearance on the debut episode of The Ariel Helwani Show on Uncrowned that the competition Ngannou will face outside the UFC could disqualify him from such a category.

Ngannou is set to headline this weekend’s PFL pay-per-view in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia opposite 2023 PFL heavyweight title winner Renan Ferreira. The Brazilian is coming off an emphatic first-round knockout of Bellator kingpin Ryan Bader.

While “Problema” is getting plenty of respect from “The Predator,” who has even branded himself the underdog, Aspinall insists that Ferreira is far from an “elite” heavyweight.

“I have a lot of respect for Francis. And I really appreciate his story. I really appreciate what he’s done in the sport,” Aspinall said. “But it’s hard to debate right now. The guy he’s fighting, he’s not elite. Do you know what I mean? And the guys he’ll be fighting in the future aren’t elite, and it’s as simple as that. These aren’t the best guys in the world.

“The guy he’s fighting fought a friend of mine, a training partner of mine, Ante Delija, last year. Ante just destroyed him within a minute or two; took him down, ground-and-pounded him, and stopped him within the first minute,” Aspinall continued. “The guy isn’t elite, his opponent. Yeah he’s big, yeah he’s powerful, yeah he can knock you out, but he’s not an elite heavyweight. I’m not disrespecting him, that’s just my honest opinion. The elite guys are not in the PFL. … It’s difficult to say he (Ngannou) is the best heavyweight in the world when he isn’t fighting elite guys.”

Regardless, Ngannou will have his sights on making a firm statement in his long-awaited return to MMA competition in order to prove that he’s not lost a step inside the cage since heading to the ring.

Continue Reading Tom Aspinall On Why It’s ‘Hard’ To Put Ngannou In Best Heavyweight Debate: ‘The Guy He’s Fighting…’  at MMA News.

Watch: UFC Star Tom Aspinall or Boxer Tommy Fury? UFC vs. Boxing Punch Machine Showdown

Tom Aspinall Tommy Fury punch machineUFC star Tom Aspinall has gone head to head with boxer Tommy Fury to see who has the hardest…

Tom Aspinall Tommy Fury punch machine

UFC star Tom Aspinall has gone head to head with boxer Tommy Fury to see who has the hardest punch, and they’ve captured the best moments on video for Aspinall’s YouTube channel.

At 15-3, Aspinall has been a menace to the UFC’s heavyweight division. He’s young, fast, powerful, and technical. Aspinall encompasses a very well-rounded base while also possessing some impressive physical attributes. He’s ended his last three fights via KO/TKO, and obviously, his hands contain some serious dynamite.

On the other hand, you have Tommy Fury, the younger brother of the infamous boxing star Tyson Fury. Tommy Fury and Aspinall are definitely much different in size and stature, but they still wanted to hang out and take a literal swing at things on a punch machine, which turns punching strength into a numerical high score that shines on the machine.

Tom aspinall and Tommy Fury take a swing at things

Fury has been taking time off to recuperate from surgery on his right hand, so the duo started the competition off with some left hooks. Tyson’s little bro clocked in some left hooks at the scores of 827 and 825 but was just paving the way for Aspinall to outshine him. The UFC interim champion didn’t disappoint and took the round with a left hook that scored a whopping 843 to win the first set.

The next round would feature elbows, and it was ironic because Fury seemingly picked the strike, even though one would imagine the MMA fighter Aspinall would have much more practice at throwing elbows. Surprisingly, Tom Aspinall lost this round with a score of 770, and Fury clinched it with a score of 783.

Next came headbutts. These didn’t score very well, and both men scored around 300. Finally, paying homage to Dana White’s slap-fighting league, came slaps. Aspinal took this final round, slapping his way to a high score of 764.

Do you think Tom Aspinall will ever unify the belts in a match against Jon Jones?