In under a week’s time, Tom Aspinall makes the first defense of his interim 265-pound title belt. UFC 304 takes shape this Saturday at Co-op Live in Manchester, England. In the feature co-main event, the Brit meets Curtis Blaydes for a rematch. Ahead of this, Aspinall reminisced about the fight that brought him to this stage.
Aspinall wants to avenge his loss to ‘Razor’ on home soil to keep his grip on the interim gold. He tore his ACL in 2022 against Curtis Blaydes in their last meeting. It unceremoniously ended in a 15-second technical knockout. On the cusp of Fight Week, he got together with mEATS for ©Manchester’s Finest Group 2024 to discuss his preparation. As such, the Brit opened up on quitting alcohol.
I…uh, I’ve actually not drank this year…After my last fight..So, I fought in November, in New York. I took on two weeks’ notice..rarely rare and I won the fight. I drank for like a month. And then I got kinda sick of it. I was just like I need to stop drinking so much.
Tom Aspinall for a mEATS Exclusive for ©Manchester’s Finest Group 2024
In terms of his development as a fighter since their first meeting in 2022, Aspinall believes the differences are night and day. Much of this comes from how he dispatched Sergei Pavlovich in a 60-second KO eight months ago. After that, he got into a celebratory drinking phase. However, that only lasted so long cause he knew he’d had to go on a vigorous trial to make a case for title unification.
😂🍻Tom Aspinal drank for a month after fight with Pavlovich.
“I haven’t drunk this year. After my last fight in November, which I took on two weeks’ notice and I won the fight, I drank for a month. I got sick of it. I was just like I need to stop drinking so much.”
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) July 22, 2024
Unlucky for Tom Aspinall, divisional champ Jon Jones does not prefer unification in place of his legacy return this year. Lucky for the 31-year-old, his drinking did not entail pleading innocence in front of the Bernalillo County (N.M.) court arraignment for alleged assault. So he’ll be ready anyway. More to it, he’s prepping hard for it and brimming with confidence.
Tom Aspinall is full of self-belief after pulling off a miracle last year under ‘Worst Circumstances’
Aspinall’s rematch with Curtis Blaydes will mark the first of double-header championship rematches set for UFC 304. UK titleholder Leon Edwards will run it back with Belal Muhammad in defense of his welterweight gold in the feature main event. Somewhere along the line, Tom Aspinall had more to prove than that title grudge match.
Fresh off a KO, Tom Aspinall is confident about UFC 304 (Source: es.agfight.com/UFC.go.com)Constantly snubbed from a title unification, the 31-year-old has to prove he is just as good. Interim belt or not, he’ll have to represent the brand face weight division in the best ways he possibly can to make the case for unification again. Daniel Cormier hypothesizes a firestorm of a fan uprising would gather for Jones vs. Aspinall if he can get past Blaydes at UFC 304.
Consequently, the Brit is ready for it. During a recent virtual interview with Karyn Bryant, Rashad Evans, and Alan Jouban for ESPN MMA, Aspinall (14-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) voiced his surefire confidence.
Yea, …Yea I’ve [improved] absolutely everywhere…Every fight is different anyway, but I think now, everything is way different about me. Especially after my last performance; I took so much confidence from that. I took the fight on short notice, I took the fight injured, and I still managed to pull it off in the worst circumstances.
Tom Aspinall via ESPN MMA (@espnmma); H/T: SBNation Network
Heavyweight champion Jones is projected to return in UFC 309’s pay-per-view headliner in November this year. If Aspinall can run right through Blaydes as he did Pavlovich, he can put a wrench in further legacy fights. He’ll be next in line for a title unification. While the Englishman had said he doesn’t need ‘Bones’ to define his legacy, it’d be a good name to further enhance his legacy..
