Tom Aspinall is a freak, but the best kind. Athletically, mentally, statistically: in every column stands proof that the heavyweight is not a normal person. And even if the contents of those columns were not so kind, the Briton – hulking in stature yet confusingly nimble in motion – would surely drop them like anything else that stands vertically in front of him.
Since reaching the UFC in 2020, Aspinall has been as pristine as one can be in mixed martial arts, a sport that batters the bodies and minds of those who give themselves to it. Aspinall has fought nine times in the UFC, winning eight and suffering his sole loss due to an early injury. All eight wins have come inside the first two rounds. Seven have come in the first round. Two have come in the first minute. If this all sounds somewhat frightening, Aspinall’s uniquely efficient violence, which crowned him interim UFC heavyweight champion, is offset by an easy charm. The Wigan fighter would tell you he’s just a normal guy, and in the ways that matter on a human level, he is. As a combatant, though, we’ll repeat for clarity: he is far from normal.
Aspinall wasn’t born “as a complete freak athlete, but some of it is just there – genetic maybe,” he says. “But I worked on it a lot. I was always fast and athletic, but I wanted to get faster and more athletic, and it’s not something I’ve finished.” The 31-year-old is speaking to The Independent one week out from a live event in London, at which he’ll talk fans through his life and career. He gives a glimpse of those tales here, touching on how a lifetime of martial arts and his dad’s presence in his corner have defined him as a fighter, man, and father.
His approachability, he says, “has always been my personality, as far as I’m aware. It’s hard to say if it’s directly tied to martial arts, because I’ve always done it. I think my ego is in check pretty well, because when you’re involved in martial arts, you essentially get beaten up regularly, so you don’t get too ahead of yourself. I’m as interested as other fans when people act out to draw us to fights, but I don’t think it’s all that fighting’s about. It can be about respect, can be seen as a proper sport honed from a young age – not just guys who don’t like each other, fighting.
“There are people like me who have spent their whole lives doing it, it’s the main part of our lives. I want people to see that.” In part, Aspinall has spent his life practising martial arts due to his father Andy’s jiu-jitsu coaching. “He’s been at every competition or fight I’ve ever had,” Tom says. “Some people don’t need the old warrior talk before they fight, some do. He understands what I’m going through, knows what to say. We have a very special thing.”
Tom himself is now a father of three, who has spoken openly about the learning experience of raising a son with autism.
“I think I was pretty responsible anyway, but I’m way more responsible now,” Aspinall explains. “I’m not just thinking for myself, I’m thinking for three kids. Everything I do reflects on them, and as they get older, they’ll see that – especially when they get to high school, get phones. If I win, lose, or don’t try my best, that reflects on them.”
Aspinall isn’t just aware of the impression he can make on his children, though. After winning the interim UFC belt with a knockout of Sergei Pavlovich, in New York City’s iconic Madison Square Garden, media coverage of Aspinall’s endeavours was amplified. The Briton has been refreshingly relatable while promoting a sport that some still see as barbaric. “I’m not in control of how everyone sees MMA,” he says. “I just want it to be respected as a mainstream sport in this country – like football, like boxing. I want it to be relatable to people.”
Aspinall is at his most relatable when discussing his “fear” of fighting.
“When I used to watch the UFC, I thought: ‘It must be great at that level. You don’t get scared or overly emotional.’ But I’ve realised it never really goes away. If anything, it gets worse. I used to fight with like 100 people watching, no one really cared if I won or lost. My next fight is probably gonna be one of the biggest in MMA history. It just gets scarier and scarier, but fear can make you much sharper, more motivated. All the time, I see fighters who are amazing in the gym, then in front of 20,000 people – with the lights and cameras on – they’re a shadow of themselves. They just don’t understand how to channel fear.”
The “next fight” to which Aspinall referred is a unification bout with Jon Jones, but it is not a certainty. The American is considered by many as the greatest mixed martial artist to have ever lived, a former light-heavyweight champion who now holds the regular heavyweight belt. Yet Jones’s legacy has been marred by numerous run-ins with the law and failed drug tests, and his apparent avoidance of Aspinall – his rightful challenger – is further tarnishing that legacy.
On Jones, Aspinall keeps it brief: the Briton is “not bothered” whom he fights for undisputed status, he just wants to be recognised as the UFC’s true heavyweight champion. Still, he’d admit that Jones would be his next opponent in an ideal world. A fight with the 37-year-old would allow Aspinall to test what he sees as his own greatest attribute – and it is not even his striking, wrestling, or jiu-jitsu.
“It’s making the right decisions at the right times,” he suggests. “My skillset is good, but so is everyone else’s. Being in the gym since I was 10 years old doesn’t harm [my decision-making], and my dad also talks a lot about training the eyes: making your reactions quicker. I don’t think many people do that, to be honest. I think my decision-making is the best in the division by far.”
Jones’s decision-making is also shrewd, if only when he’s in the cage. That said, one might argue his decision-making is actively keeping him from entering a cage with Aspinall, a high-risk-low-reward rival. Yet while Jones may fear a loss to Aspinall, the interim champion – as usual – has a refreshingly different perspective on defeat.
“I always expect to win, because I give everything to the sport… but I’m also expecting I might lose at some point, because I’m not a complete egomaniac,” he says. “Now I’m at the top of the division, the skill gap between me and the next guy isn’t much. There’s only two of us in there, and only one can win. The more time you’re in there, the chance of losing gets bigger and bigger. It definitely hurts your ego when you lose, but one of us has to – and if it’s me, I have to accept that.”
Until the Jones fight materialises, if it ever does, Aspinall will continue to fly the flag for British MMA, as he will at next week’s live event. “It’s a time for me to connect with fans, give them a personal experience,” he says. “Not a lot of UFC fighters do this. To do it live, not through a screen, and spend a bit of time together, shake hands, take a picture… it was important for me. I’m really looking forward to it.”
