British UFC heavyweight Tom Aspinall is in no rush in his pursuit of UFC gold, but that does not mean he’s getting lazy. It was only in March that Aspinall delivered a thunderous first-round submission of Alexander Volkov. Aspinall is set to return to the Octagon at UFC London this summer, when he will face Curtis Blaydes, who he described on The MMA Hour as “the toughest fight in the division”.
“If they’re coming back to the U.K., obviously I’m not going to miss that opportunity. That night in March, that was something special and if we have the opportunity to do anything even close to that again, I want to be a part of it. Why would I not?
Tom Aspinall Says Fight Against Curtis Blaydes “Toughest Fight in the Division”
Why would I not want to be a part of something like that? I’m not going to pass that opportunity up, so we got it again. We’re going again. July 23, Aspinall vs. Blaydes, in the big smoke, in the O2 Arena, London, England, what more could you want?
Curtis Blaydes is probably the toughest fight in the division for me stylistically. 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.
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. 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’s obvious penchant for early finishes and his popularity among fight fans – particularly in his home country – has led to much discussion of his future as a potential contender. The heavyweight title picture right now is dominated by champion Francis Ngannou and perennial contenders Cyril Gane and Derrick Lewis, and that’s to say nothing of former champ Stipe Miocic and the ever-looming specter of Jon Jones. Aspinall is happy to wait his turn.
“I’m not even interested in it. 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.”
How will Tom Aspinall do against Curtis Blaydes? Let us know what you think in the comments.
