Tom Aspinall is looking for redemption this July. The interim heavyweight champion will face his former opponent Curtis Blaydes in a highly anticipated rematch. The last time the two fought, Aspinall almost gave up on his career as an MMA fighter.
Tom Aspinall recently did an interview with TNT Sports. During his conversation with Adam Catterall, the interim champion reflected on an unexpected injury that gave him his first loss in the UFC back in 2022. It was then that Aspinall had to decide to either give up on fighting completely or dive right in.
As a professional athlete, getting injured is bad and becoming inactive is bad… For that to happen in front of 20,000 home fans, taking a loss, and not knowing when you can come back is very tough. I had two ways – go all in… or do something else with my time.
Tom Aspinall on TNT Sports
Tom Aspinall suffered a knee injury during his first showdown against Curtis Blaydes at UFC London. The injury occurred just 15 seconds into the first round when Aspinall threw a kick and immediately collapsed, clutching his knee in pain. The fight was stopped, and Blaydes walked out as the winner by TKO due to the injury. Aspinall later revealed that he had torn his MCL, meniscus, and ACL.
Now he is looking to take revenge in their second showdown this July. Aspinall and Blaydes will headline the co-main event under Leon Edwards vs Belal Muhammad at the Co-op Live arena in Manchester. Aspinall said that he wants redemption because he is so much better as an MMA fighter than he was back at UFC Fight Night 208.
Tom Aspinall calls pound-for-pound rankings a “load of rubbish”
The UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings have been a controversial list. Tom Aspinall added himself to the list of contenders who despise the controversial rankings. The UFC’s pound-for-pound (P4P) rankings list aims to rank fighters regardless of their weight class, assessing who the best overall fighters are based on skill, record, performance, and influence within the sport.
Tom Aspinall (via Imago)The rankings are determined by a panel of media members who are chosen by the UFC. Since the rankings are pound-for-pound, the actual weight class of the fighters doesn’t matter. However, Aspinall questioned how it was even possible at the UFC 304 media day.
What is this pound-for-pound bulls**t? It’s a load of rubbish. It’s like saying – it just doesn’t even make sense. Don’t get me started on that. It’s just like, how can you have a pound-for-pound?
Tom Aspinall at the UFC 304 media day
Tom Aspinall is no fan of the “rubbish” pound-for-pound rankings:
“How can you compare Demetrious Johnson’s style with Brock Lesnar’s style? They’ve got completely different attributes.” pic.twitter.com/kyhGYwXs7a
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) July 24, 2024
The Brit questioned that if everyone was the same size, how could one compare Demetrious Johnson‘s style to Brock Lesnar‘s style? He argued that everyone could not be the same because everybody has completely different attributes. Aspinall currently ranks #11 in the UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings.
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