Tag: tom aspinall

Leon Edwards Breaks Down & Predicts UFC 304 Fights Featuring Fellow Countrymen Tom Aspinall, Paddy Pimblett, & More

While focused on his own assignment at UFC 304, welterweight champion Leon Edwards recently assessed a few other notable matchups set for July 27. Mixed martial arts’ leading promotion will head back across the pond toward the end of this month, visiting an English city other than London for the first time since pre-pandemic. The […]

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While focused on his own assignment at UFC 304, welterweight champion Leon Edwards recently assessed a few other notable matchups set for July 27.

Mixed martial arts’ leading promotion will head back across the pond toward the end of this month, visiting an English city other than London for the first time since pre-pandemic.

The newly built Co-op Live in Manchester is set to play host to UFC 304, a pay-per-view event topped by two British champions in Edwards and Tom Aspinall.

“Rocky” is expecting both him and the interim heavyweight kingpin to emerge with the gold still in their possession. And his support of fellow countrymen goes beyond just his fellow champ…

Edwards Backs Aspinall, Pimblett, Allen To Join Him As Home Winners In Manchester

During a recent interview with talkSPORT MMA, Edwards looked ahead to his upcoming Octagon outing, which comes 16 months on from his previous home fight in England’s capital.

After analyzing his main event showdown with Muhammad for the welterweight gold, “Rocky” had his attention turned to some of the other notable bouts set to play out in Manchester featuring his compatriots.

That included the other champion with whom he’s sharing the poster, interim heavyweight titleholder Aspinall.

“I pick Tom for the win,” Edwards said. “Obviously (Curtis) Blaydes is a solid opponent; great wrestling, good boxing as well. But I feel like Tom is just like, for heavyweight, quite fast and moves well on his feet. So yeah, I favor Tom for the win.”

Edwards’ next pick came with a self-admitted bias, as he backed fellow Team Renegade standout Arnold Allen to bounce back from his widely debated setback against Movsar Evloev this past January in Canada.

“I’ve got Arnold (against Giga Chikadze). He’s my training partner, you know?” Edwards noted. “I know how hard he works in the gym and just how good he is. He’s looking good now in training camp, so I’ve got Arnold.”

“Rocky” then went three for three on the home picks, predicting victory for Pimblett in his toughest Octagon assignment to date against #15-rankled lightweight Bobby “King” Green.

“That’s a good one,” Edwards said, pondering more than his previous predictions. “I’ll go Paddy. I’ll go all-British through here. I’ll go Paddy but I feel like Bobby’s a dangerous fight for him. Probably his toughest test.”

Come fight night, Edwards will no doubt be more concerned about his prediction for his own fight against Muhammad coming to fruition.

While his first two defenses against Usman and Covington went to the scorecards, the Jamaican-born Brit is vowing to finish “Remember the Name” before the championship rounds when they run it back later this month.

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Tom Aspinall Names What People Don’t Understand About Fighting In UFC

UFC heavyweight contender Tom Aspinall believes that the magnitude of fighting in mixed martial arts’ leading promotion is often undervalued. Aspinall has quickly risen close to the top inside the Octagon. The Englishman arrived on the scene in 2…

UFC heavyweight contender Tom Aspinall believes that the magnitude of fighting in mixed martial arts’ leading promotion is often undervalued. Aspinall has quickly risen close to the top inside the Octagon. The Englishman arrived on the scene in 2020 following a two-fight run under the Cage Warriors banner that saw him collect a pair of…

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UFC Commentator: ‘I Consider There To Be Two Undisputed UFC Heavyweight Champions Right Now’

At UFC 304, Tom Aspinall will become the first interim title holder to defend his belt in eleven years. The Brit made the most out of a late notice opportunity at UFC 295 where he stepped into the co-main event to face Sergei Pavlovich for the belt due to Jon Jones’ injury that postponed his […]

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At UFC 304, Tom Aspinall will become the first interim title holder to defend his belt in eleven years.

The Brit made the most out of a late notice opportunity at UFC 295 where he stepped into the co-main event to face Sergei Pavlovich for the belt due to Jon Jones’ injury that postponed his fight with Stipe Miocic.

In most circumstances, Aspinall would now be the next in line to face the returning Jones in a title unification clash but “Bones” is still looking to reschedule his fight with Miocic for later this year.

With Aspinall looking to avenge his loss to Curtis Blaydes in the co-main event on July 27, some may argue that him defending the interim title is less significant than being the undisputed champion.

Jon Anik believes that whilst there may be two champions in the division, Aspinall defending the title would be just as significant despite him being the interim titleholder.

Jon Anik Says That Tom Aspinall Will Be Defending The Undisputed Championship Against Curtis Blaydes

In a recent interview with InsideFighting, UFC commentator Jon Anik gave his thoughts on the lay of the land right now in the heavyweight division.

He spoke about how Israel Adesanya considered his title unification clash with Robert Whittaker to count as a title defense despite him coming in as the interim champion.

In the same vein, Anik believes that Aspinall getting his hand raised in Manchester later this month counts in his mind as a title defense of the undisputed championship.

He sees it that whether the title says interim before it or not, there are two equal UFC heavyweight champions right now.

“Interim championships are a very powerful thing in my mind even if maybe in the past I’ve said that the belt should be silver, I consider there to be two undisputed UFC heavyweight champions right now and Tom Aspinall’s one of them. He’s defending his undisputed title as far as I’m concerned and for those that have the archaic philosophy maybe that a champion is not really the champion, and it’s my opinion that it’s archaic, but if a champion doesn’t defend their belt at least one time, then they are not the champion.

“I mean Alex Pereira never defended his UFC middleweight champion and nobody would dispute that he wasn’t the middleweight king. But, if Tom Aspinall defends the interim championship, as far as I’m concerned, that is an undisputed championship title defense.”

Read also: Kamaru Usman Calls For Leon Edwards’ ‘Killer’ To Come Out At UFC 304: ‘If You Know You’re The Top Dog…’ 

Continue Reading UFC Commentator: ‘I Consider There To Be Two Undisputed UFC Heavyweight Champions Right Now’ at MMA News.

Tom Aspinall Not Focusing On UFC 304 Fight Time: ‘If You Can Fight Really Well At Midnight But You Can’t At 4 AM…’

Tom Aspinall recently stated that he is unfazed by the unconventional fight time set for UFC 304, emphasizing that his training camp included acclimating his body to compete at early hours. Aspinall is gearing up to defend his interim heavyweight title in a rematch against his former rival Curtis Blaydes in the co-main event of […]

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Tom Aspinall recently stated that he is unfazed by the unconventional fight time set for UFC 304, emphasizing that his training camp included acclimating his body to compete at early hours.

Aspinall is gearing up to defend his interim heavyweight title in a rematch against his former rival Curtis Blaydes in the co-main event of the upcoming UFC 304 pay-per-view, scheduled for July 27 at the Co-op Live arena in Manchester, England.

The event broadcast is set to begin at approximately 11 PM BST (local time), with the scheduling designed mainly to accommodate North American audiences. Consequently, Aspinall will make his walk to the octagon in the early hours of the next morning (July 28 in Manchester).

Despite his prior entreaties and appeals to the UFC brass to adjust the start time for UFC 304, the 31-year-old Salford native’s plea was ultimately denied. Now, Aspinall appears fully dedicated to his preparation, expressing that he is unperturbed by the event’s timing…

Aspinall Says 4 AM Training Sessions Will Aid Performance At UFC 304

During a recent appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Aspinall revealed his unique preparation for UFC 304. To condition his body for the early-hour fight, he wakes up at 4 AM every day and incorporates a traditional gypsy method into his training.

“When it gets to about 4 AM, I get my alarm on, I go outside, do a bit shadowboxing in the hay bales,” Aspinall said. “And then I do the old traveler method of dipping your knuckles in petrol for about 20 minutes as the sun’s coming up, and that hardens your knuckles.”

The interim UFC heavyweight champion further added that aside from his morning workout routine to train his body to be alert at 4 AM, he hasn’t been overly concerned with the early start time.

“Look mate, if you can fight really well at 12 o’clock, midnight, but you can’t fight really well at 4 AM, you weren’t that [good] in the first place, in my opinion. There are plenty of times that I’ve traveled across the world and fought in different time zones without even adjusting myself. And now I’ve had a full training camp at home. I’m right there ready to fight, so if that’s an excuse, mate, you’re not that good in the first place.”

Aspinall and Blaydes previously clashed at UFC Fight Night London in July 2022. The fight’s outcome was clouded by a dramatic turn of events, as the Brit endured a TKO defeat caused by an unforeseen knee injury just 15 seconds into the contest.

Aside from that setback, Aspinall boasts seven victories in the Octagon, with notable wins against formidable opponents such as Sergei Pavlovich, Alexander Volkov, and Marcin Tybura.

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Tom Aspinall Assesses Whether Return At UFC 286 In London Is Likely

UFC heavyweight Tom Aspinall has commented on whether or not his return from injury will line up with UFC 286, set for London next March. Aspinall has certainly experienced the highs and lows of the fight game in 2022. While the year started with a vic…

UFC heavyweight Tom Aspinall has commented on whether or not his return from injury will line up with UFC 286, set for London next March. Aspinall has certainly experienced the highs and lows of the fight game in 2022. While the year started with a victory over perennial contender Alexander Volkov in front of his…

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Daniel Cormier: Tom Aspinall Can Create ‘Fan Uprising’ Against Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic At UFC 304

Former two-division UFC champion Daniel Cormier still sees a way for Tom Aspinall to stake his claim for the next shot at Jon Jones. Aspinall appeared to put himself in line for an inevitable dream showdown with Jones after capturing the interim heavyweight gold at UFC 295 last November. He did so by knocking out […]

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Former two-division UFC champion Daniel Cormier still sees a way for Tom Aspinall to stake his claim for the next shot at Jon Jones.

Aspinall appeared to put himself in line for an inevitable dream showdown with Jones after capturing the interim heavyweight gold at UFC 295 last November. He did so by knocking out Sergei Pavlovich in a matchup that replaced the original title fight between “Bones” and Stipe Miocic.

Despite the need for a unification fight, both Jones and the powers that be have been insistent on the Miocic bout being kept together for the back end of 2024.

The Englishman and a large portion of the MMA community have frequently bemoaned that decision. With minds seemingly made up, Aspinall is focusing his energy elsewhere as he gears up to defend his interim belt in a rematch against Curtis Blaydes on home soil at UFC 304 this month.

But when it comes to pipping Miocic to the post and sharing the Octagon with Jones next, “DC” says hope is not completely lost…

Cormier: Demolition Of Blaydes Could Force UFC Into Jones vs. Aspinall

During a video recently uploaded to his YouTube channel, Cormier gave his latest thoughts on the state of the title picture in the division he formerly ruled over.

While both Jones and the UFC have remained steadfast on rearranging the Miocic fight for the promotion’s next visit to Madison Square Garden in November, “DC” doesn’t believe everything is set in stone just yet.

For that to happen. Cormier thinks UFC 304 will have to pass by without an emphatic and dominant display from the interim titleholder.

“I can’t wait to get to Manchester. Dude, could you imagine if Tom Aspinall just washes out Curtis Blaydes? Then the firestorm that will start to gather for him to fight Jones — or if Curtis Blaydes just demolishes Tom Aspinall? It would be crazy,” Cormier said. “Here’s the difference, though: for there to truly be an uprising, it would have to be Aspinall destroying Blaydes.

“You’ve seen Curtis Blaydes lose before. So people would think, ‘Oh, he beat Tom Aspinall, but we’ve seen him get beat by Francis and lose to other guys.’ … But if Aspinall goes through Blaydes in the way he did Sergei, and he’s only lost because of that injury default, people would lose their minds almost insisting that he and Jones fight,” Cormier continued. “If Tom Aspinall can get through this fight and he’s clean and he looks dominant, there may be such a fan uprising that the UFC may be forced to make Jones vs. Aspinall. I don’t know what that would do for my man Stipe.”

Judging by his recent remarks, Jones evidently doesn’t see much chance of a demolition job in Manchester.

In addition to backing Blaydes to get the job done on July 27, the Rochester native suggested “Razor” was piecing Aspinall up in their 2022 UFC Fight Night headliner. That’s despite the bout lasting just 15 seconds.

Jones has also pointed to reigning light heavyweight kingpin Alex Pereira as a more intriguing option than Aspinall, claiming only UK fans would rather see him fight the interim champ.

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