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Heavyweight Tom Aspinall Names the Fighter with the Deadliest Leg Kicks

Liam Harrison Tom Aspinall UFC heavyweight Tom Aspinall has named the hardest leg kicker that he has ever met. The title goes to…

UFC heavyweight Tom Aspinall has named the hardest leg kicker that he has ever met. The title goes to the UK Muay Thai legend Liam Harrison, who slammed Aspinally with a thunderous leg kick during a training session.

Tom Aspinall and Liam Harrison

The UK-born Tom Aspinall is a full-size MMA heavyweight fighter coming in at 250 lbs while Liam Harrison is merely 145 lbs. Aspinall has spent his MMA career facing talented heavyweights and taking hard strikes from them. Regardless, ‘The Hitman’ Harrison hits harder than all of them when it comes to leg kicks.

In a recent training video, UFC Interim Heavyweight World Champion Tom Aspinall was asked who the hardest leg kicker that he has worked with is. He answered, “Liam Harrison. Thai boxers are generally the best leg kickers in combat sports”

‘The Hitman’ Liam Harrison responded, “High praise from the UFC heavyweight champion. Tom actually let me boot his leg before cos he wanted to see how it felt. But seeing as his legs are the same size as my house it took it like a champ.”

The UK-born Harrison is a Muay Thai icon. He has established himself as one of the greatest non-Thai fighters in Muay Thai history and is known for his aggressive fighting style. Harrison’s impressive record includes 8 world titles and over 100 fights, with more than 80 wins and numerous knockouts. Liam Harrison’s legacy in Muay Thai is significant.

Tom Aspinall has showcased his skills with several notable performances. He holds wins over respected veterans like Andrei Arlovski and Alexander Volkov. His ascent in the division culminated in winning the UFC interim heavyweight title on November 11, 2023, when he stopped Sergei Pavlovich via strikes in just 1:09 of the first round. Now, he waiting for a unification match against the heavyweight king Jon Jones.

Jon Jones Bus Trip: Glover Teixeira Plays Hilarious Prank on Tom Aspinall Ahead of UFC 309

Glover Teixeira attempted to play a humorous prank on Tom Aspinall ahead of the UFC’s return to Madison Square…

Glover Teixeira attempted to play a humorous prank on Tom Aspinall ahead of the UFC’s return to Madison Square Garden on Saturday.

Undisputed UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones successfully defended his title in the evening’s main event, smashing his way through Stipe Miocic via a third-round TKO. Aspinall was on hand for the festivities and actually weighed in 24 hours earlier as the official backup for the fight should either ‘Bones’ or Miocic need to be replaced in the 11th hour.

As the backup, Aspinall was required to adhere to strict rules, including no consumption of alcohol up until Jones vs. Miocic actually got underway.

So, of course, Teixeira, who has been known to be a bit of a prankster alongside his friend and light heavyweight successor Alex Pereira, tried to play a little trick on the interim titleholder.

“Tom you know, they just call me,” Teixeira said with a smile. I just got a call, Jon Jones, he trip in the bus, you know? So don’t be drinking, okay?”

“I’m on the water [laughing]!. Top man,” Aspinall replied.

Considering Teixeira couldn’t mask his smile for even a moment, it wasn’t hard for Aspinall to sniff out the lie.

Luckily, the heavyweight headliner went off without a hitch and Aspinall even banked an extra 200k just for showing up and sitting in the stands. Following Jones’ big win, he left the door open for a title unification clash with Apsinall who has held the interim heavyweight belt since a 69-second knockout of Sergei Pavlovich last year.

Interestingly, Aspinall opened as a -135 favorite in a yet-to-be-announced scrap with the consensus GOAT of MMA.

Tom Aspinall Explains Why Jon Jones’ Usual Advantage Over Opponents Won’t Work With Him

Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion Tom Aspinall remains high on self-belief when it comes to his chances in a fight against the great Jon Jones. Jones maintained his place on the heavyweight throne at this past weekend’s UFC 309 pay-per-view, which he headlined inside Madison Square Garden opposite returning former champ Stipe Miocic. “Bones,” who achieved […]

Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion Tom Aspinall remains high on self-belief when it comes to his chances in a fight against the great Jon Jones.

Jones maintained his place on the heavyweight throne at this past weekend’s UFC 309 pay-per-view, which he headlined inside Madison Square Garden opposite returning former champ Stipe Miocic.

“Bones,” who achieved two-division glory 20 months prior by submitting Ciryl Gane in one round, threatened another quick finish when he slammed Miocic down and employed some vicious ground-and-pound.

But the Rochester native ultimately had to wait until the third frame to put Miocic away for good, doing so with a brutal spinning back kick to the body. And with that, Jones has now added a successful defense to his already illustrious résumé.

Jones’ status as heavyweight king, however, is far from undisputed.

During Monday’s episode of The Ariel Helwani Show on Uncrowned, Aspinall explained why he would expect an edge over Jones.

While “Bones” would boast a significant lead in Octagon experience, the interim titleholder believes his short fight time would actually play in his favor against the GOAT contender.

“One of Jon Jones’ biggest advantages that he has over everybody is that he’s a tape studier, as am I,” Aspinall said. “I’m a massive tape studier. I watch my opponents, my coaches watch my opponents, pick up on the tendencies, pick up on what they like, what they don’t like, what they’re good at, when they’re tired, what tires them out, how they’re getting up off the bottom, how’s their defense when you throw this shot, etc.

“He loves to study opponents like this. He has no chance of doing that with me because my average fight time is the shortest in UFC history at two minutes and two seconds over 10 fights. That’s something that keeps him up at night, that will keep him up at night, for sure. I am a massive, massive question mark for him. I know a lot of his game. He’s got a lot of Octagon time over a lot of years. I’ve got next to nothing. There’s next to no footage of me out there besides me doing anything apart from bouncing peoples’ heads off the canvas, and he has no idea what to prepare for, and that is fantastic for me.”

It remains to be seen whether or not Aspinall will have the chance to prove as much.

While Jones appeared to finally entertain the prospect of facing Aspinall during his Octagon interview, he quickly reverted to his stance of avoiding the Brit when backstage at MSG, reiterating his desire to fight Alex Pereira instead.

The MMA masses continue to push back on that, however, and even the UFC’s official Europe handle on X has seemingly had enough of the apparent ‘ducking’…

It’s ?????????? ???????! Who next for Jon Jones after #UFC309?! pic.twitter.com/DF98JdvmjS

— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) November 19, 2024

Read More: PFL Announces ‘Dagestan vs. Ireland 2’ As Paul Hughes Challenges Usman Nurmagomedov

Conor McGregor Fuels Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall Hype: ‘He Can’t Sleep at Night’

Conor McGregor wants to see Jon Jones fight Tom Aspinall. After Jones’ third-round TKO against Stipe Miocic at UFC…

Conor McGregor wants to see Jon Jones fight Tom Aspinall.

After Jones’ third-round TKO against Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 to retain the undisputed heavyweight title, ‘Bones’ left the door open for a return to the Octagon and indicated that a unification clash with Aspinall — the promotion’s current interim champion — was definitely in the cards.

Aspinall, who was on hand at MSG and banked 200k just to weigh in as the official backup for the heavyweight headliner, thinks Jones’ ego is what will ultimately lead to their long-awaited showdown finally coming to fruition.

"I think he secretly wants it… He hates the fact that people are saying I can beat him. He can't sleep at night… This is all projecting. Deep down he knows." – @AspinallMMA on Jon Jones' dismissal of unifying the heavyweight titles. pic.twitter.com/recS8hxcjj

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) November 18, 2024

“I think he secretly wants it,’ Aspinall told Ariel Helwani. ‘Because he has a gigantic ego, and he should have, he’s one of the best fighters ever. He hates the fact that people are saying that I could beat him, he can’t sleep at night.

“He keeps mentioning it over and over again that he doesn’t care about me, he thinks he’s above me and all that. This is all projecting, all of it. He knows, deep down he knows and he just has to keep saying it because he has to defend himself” (h/t DailyMail).

Conor McGregor reacts to potential jones vs. aspinall fight

Once Aspinall’s comments made the rounds on social media, McGregor chimed in and offered a not-so-favorable review of some of the Brit’s recent sparring footage.

“That footage of him looking woeful vs Rico Verhoeven is good footage to watch for Jon,” McGregor wrote in a since-deleted post on X. “I’ve warmed to this matchup, I think it should happen.”

To be fair, Verhoeven — the reigning GLORY Kickboxing heavyweight champion and undefeated in nearly a decade — is considered by many to be the greatest kickboxer on the planet. Verhoeven has trained with Aspinall for many years. The UFC star shared clips of the two sparring together earlier this month on YouTube.

Stephen A. Smith’s Take On Jones vs. Aspinall Infuriates Former UFC Fighter: ‘Ban This Man From Speaking’

Sports television personality Stephen A. Smith sees UFC Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones as the “best on the planet” and can’t picture anybody getting the better of him, Tom Aspinall included. Smith provided his reaction to Jones’ latest performance — a TKO victory over Stipe Miocic in the main event of UFC 309 — on a […]

Sports television personality Stephen A. Smith sees UFC Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones as the “best on the planet” and can’t picture anybody getting the better of him, Tom Aspinall included.

Smith provided his reaction to Jones’ latest performance — a TKO victory over Stipe Miocic in the main event of UFC 309 — on a recent episode of First Take alongside Shannon Sharpe on ESPN.

The former light heavyweight kingpin added a first successful heavyweight defense to his record at Madison Square Garden, stopping the returning Miocic with a brutal spinning side kick to the body in round three.

No sooner had Jones had his hand raised in “The Big Apple,” talk turned to a much-awaited title unification fight with interim champ Aspinall, who was cageside at MSG after weighing in as backup for the main event last Friday.

But while Jones’ repeated dismissal of the Brit has led some to suggest he fears defeat, Smith isn’t entertaining that as a possibility.

“I think he’s the best on the planet. He’s the greatest in MMA that I’ve ever seen,” Smith said. “I’ve always said to everybody, you’ve got to show me to make me believe that somebody’s going to beat Jon ‘Bones’ Jones, ’cause I just don’t see it happening. He’s just too elite.”

When a clip of his remarks was posted on X, Aspinall’s fellow countryman, ex-UFC title challenger Darren Till, made his thoughts on Smith clear…

Stephen A Smith has the IQ of a mole. Please ban this man from ever speaking about anything ever again.

— DT (@darrentill2) November 18, 2024

“Stephen A Smith has the IQ of a mole,” Till wrote. “Please ban this man from ever speaking about anything ever again.”

Smith has previously caught the ire of the MMA community, most notably when he suggested Donald Cerrone “didn’t want to be there” when he was blitzed by Conor McGregor in 40 seconds at UFC 246.

Read More: ‘What’s The Aspinall RD1 Line?’ – Fans React To Tom Aspinall Being Favorite In Jon Jones Matchup Post-UFC 309

‘Based UFC Europe’ Account Plays Matchmaker For Jon Jones — Aspinall, Aspinall, Or Aspinall

The conversation surrounding Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall hasn’t disappeared in the aftermath of UFC 309 this past weekend. A lot of fans, media and fellow fighters were very vocal in the lead up to the event about the potential of seeing the heavyweight title unification fight. Whether it was people talking about Jones’ comments […]

Whether it was people talking about Jones’ comments regarding not wanting to fight the interim heavyweight champion or fans arguing that it should have been Aspinall in the main event instead of a returning Stipe Miocic, the controversy regarding this huge match-up has dominated discussions both before and after the UFC’s return to Madison Square Garden.

In his post-fight interview after stopping Miocic in the third round in what was a one-sided heavyweight title fight, Jones suggested that he will stick around for one more fight if he can come to terms with the UFC. Despite saying “maybe we’ll give you guys what you want to see”, “Bones” stated in his press conference that he isn’t interested in fighting Aspinall and only has eyes for the light heavyweight champion, Alex Pereira.

The UFC Europe account on social media weighed in on the topic via a fairly standard post that offered three options for a champion’s next challenge. However, columns A, B and C all featured one name and one name only.