Tom Aspinall had a terrific night at UFC 304 as he successfully defended his interim heavyweight title against Curtis Blaydes. It only took sixty seconds for Aspinall to drop Blaydes and finish the fight via TKO. However, going into the fight, among all the cheers and compliments, Aspinall had to struggle behind the scenes.
It was Tom Aspinall’s childhood dream to defend the heavyweight title in Manchester in front of his people. With the win, Aspinall extended his winning streak and dominance, but it’s not always that easy. In a recent YouTube video, Tom Aspinall talked about being paranoid and extremely nervous about the fight. According to the Brit, it’s very common among fighters to go through such mental struggles.
It’s weird cause my mind doesn’t feel nervous, but my body feels nervous. It’s hard to explain. It’s like it knows what’s coming…You might not see it on camera, but I’ve seen some terrible decisions made on fight days and around fight days, people getting paranoid and stuff.
Tom Aspinall via his YouTube channel
MMA is one of the most difficult sports in the world, and it just takes one second to lose and see months of practice go to waste. Fighters require a high level of mental resilience in addition to an impressive skill set and efficient fight camps. At the top, the pressure is increased as others strive to take the position of champions like Aspinall.
💭🤝 Tom Aspinall admits thinking, “I’m definitely going to lose my fight,” and gives an honest insight into the mindset of a fighter on fight day/week:
“It’s weird cause my mind doesn’t feel nervous, but my body feels nervous. It’s hard to explain. It’s like it knows what’s… pic.twitter.com/864ErFjAu0
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) August 1, 2024
Tom Aspinall has been in the fight business for a long time and has seen a lot of ups and downs. Two years ago, Aspinall injured his leg and lost the bout against Blaydes. It took a toll on his mental health. However, he finally made his comeback. His being so verbal about such sensitive things does inspire other fighters in the business.
Rising UFC lightweight credits Tom Aspinall for being vulnerable in the fight business
Tom Aspinall’s recent video got the attention of many due to its authentic and vulnerable representation of a fighter’s nervousness. Other than Aspinall, Paddy Pimblett also felt something similar and fell into depression five weeks before UFC 304. As a mental health advocate, Pimblett thanked his wife for helping him.
Chase Hooper supports Tom Aspinall being candid and vulnerable (via X)Similarly, after listening to Tom Aspinall’s video, UFC lightweight Chase Hooper took to X and shared his views. According to the rising lightweight star, it was refreshing for him to see a top fighter opening up like that.
Too many guys try and act tough, so it’s nice to see someone like Tom being candid and letting people know that it’s completely normal to be nervous before a fist fight.
Chase Hooper via X
Too many guys try and act tough, so it’s nice to see someone like Tom being candid and letting people know that it’s completely normal to be nervous before a fist fight 🫡🫡 https://t.co/hkyKiZupNQ
— Chase Hooper (@chase_hooper) August 1, 2024
In the past, dominant champions such as Kamaru Usman have suffered from mental health troubles. Similarly, Alexander Volkanovski also surprised fight fans when he openly spoke about suffering from mental health during his time outside the fight camp. The stigma around fighters being tough has definitely been broken as more and more fighters open up about their personal experience.
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