UFC 321: The UFC crown fits, and Tom Aspinall won’t allow it to gather dust

All fight week, Tom Aspinall has glided through Abu Dhabi like a man born for the spotlight.

There was no pomp and ceremony to him being elevated from interim to undisputed UFC heavyweight champion, but he certainly carries himself in a way that befits the status.

Despite the endless talk of pressure, the future of the division resting squarely on his substantial shoulders and the two previous championship failures of his challenger Ciryl Gane, the Brit appears completely at peace.

Even his father and coach, U.K. jiu-jitsu pioneer Andy Aspinall — a man who has never shied away from sharing his thoughts on the treatment of his protege — has been enjoying the regal reception that comes with being among the new king’s council.

After all, the elder Aspinall has been guiding his son’s athletic pursuits for over two decades. You can hardly blame the man for briefly taking some time to enjoy the fruits of his labor.

“The hard work is all done, and we have no injuries,” Andy Aspinall told Uncrowned after returning from a spot of sunbathing on the Persian Gulf.

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The team’s maiden defense comes with all the bells and whistles. It’s staying away from the fighter hotel in a plush resort where the staff is very keen to impress its guests.

“Oh, it’s posh,” Andy Aspinall says as he takes a swig from a freshly blended smoothie that’s been left in his suite.

Everything is going swimmingly inside Team Aspinall’s bubble, a perfect escape from the lengthy obligations of a champion. At UFC’s base camp, Tom Aspinall and Gane have been acquainted, but the exchanges have been characteristically courteous.

“Every time we’ve seen them they’ve been really nice,” Andy Aspinall explains.

“Tom’s not fussed about building that kind of tension with his opponents, at least he never seems to be to me. He always sees them, gives them a good hand shake and tells them he’ll see them Saturday. They’re going to be fighting each other anyway, so what difference does it make, really?”

Tom Aspinall won the interim UFC heavyweight title in November 2023 and was elevated to undisputed champion in June. Saturday will be his first title defense.

(Chris Unger via Getty Images)

‘We don’t think about pressure at all’

For months, the countdown to the fight has been transfixed on the apparent pressure the Wiganite should be feeling. The potential of being a generational heavyweight and an all-time great has long been forecast for the champion, but for Team Aspinall it’s business as usual.

With the shortest average fight time in the history of the UFC (2:02), it’s hard to argue with that strategy.

“We don’t think about pressure at all,” the veteran coach said, acknowledging a question he sees coming from a mile off. “Every fight is the most important fight. We prepare to the best of our ability all the time. Of course, we’re aware of the situation, but even if 100 people out of 100 think Tom is going to win, it really doesn’t matter at all once the fight starts. It’s all just opinions, the fight game is full of them, but we all really don’t have a clue until Saturday night.”

For many parents who coach their children, sometimes it’s hard to tell where the coaching stops and parenting begins. With Andy it’s different. He always offers the conscience of a father without prompting:

“It’s heavyweight MMA at the end of the day, they’ve got those little gloves on,” Andy Aspinall said. “Of course, I expect Tom to win, I always do. But, if he doesn’t and he comes way from it unharmed, that’s all right by me too. If he wants to fight again after that, that’s all right by me and if he doesn’t, that’s fine too.”

While the mounting expectation has been constantly discussed regarding Tom, relatively little has been said about Gane’s third attempt at UFC gold after coming up short twice against Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones.

“It’s his third attempt at this, so yeah, I think [Gane]’s under pressure. Again, I think there’s just too much emphasis on this stuff before fights,” Andy Aspinall said. “Ciryl is going to be having thoughts before the fight and so will Tom, but once they get in there, they won’t be thinking at all. It’s pure instinct and skill at that point. Then once the fight is over, the noise will start again.”

Aspinall’s game plan

A lifelong practitioner of the gentle art, it’s no shock that a big smirk cracks across Andy Aspinall’s face when asked how he feels about the common opinion that his son simply needs to take Gane down and submit him. While grappling proved a successful strategy for Ngannou and Jones, Aspinall doesn’t think it will be that easy.

“I honestly think if Jon Jones fought [Gane] 100 times that same thing wouldn’t happen again. I really don’t think it would. I think [Gane] had a bad day at the office. We’ve all had them, but usually when you have them you don’t have millions of people watching you. He got caught, it happens, but we can’t go in thinking that the Jones fight is the perfect blueprint.

“If it takes Tom five rounds to beat him, does it really matter? People will probably say, ‘Jon will definitely beat Tom,’ if that happened,” he adds. “But it doesn’t work like that, does it? Jon could catch one on the chin off Tom and fall over, or vice versa.”

With that said, the head coach cannot fathom an area of the fight in which his son will struggle.

“Tom’s going to connect at some point, whether it’s the first, second or third round I don’t know,” he said.

“I think Tom is better at scrapping than Ciryl Gane. If they’re forced to the ground and they have to fight for position, I think Tom’s better at that than him too. I think if Tom punches anyone they’ll probably fall over, but that’s just my opinion. I think Ciryl is a good striker, but he is not a concussive puncher. He’s a good puncher when he gets guys hurt, and they’re usually not in the same shape as Tom. They’re usually bigger and heavier type guys. Even with those guys it takes him a few rounds to get them, so I think it will be a lot more difficult against Tom. On the other hand, I think Tom can get at anyone very quickly.”

The Aspinall Era

Jones’ retirement and Tom Aspinall’s subsequent crowning were underwhelming considering the colossal carrot that was dangled to fight fans. The newly crowned champion spoke openly about how he struggled mentally with the inactivity. His father too grew frustrated as he constantly prepared his son to fight only for Jones to flip-flop on whether he would take the challenge.

Perhaps the new aura around Aspinall is just excitement and readiness to compete after a year and a change in profile. Activity will be the mantra of the new reign, and everyone inside the champ’s small circle is onboard.

“We just don’t want to be stuck in these situations again,” Andy Aspinall said. “This training camp has gone on for a year and a half and that’s a long time for only getting paid once. The whole point of prizefighting is to get money, so there is no real value in training for a year and a half. Tom wants to get out there and fight.”

You can’t help but think it was annoying for everyone in the camp to see light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira relight the Jones fire in the aftermath of his spectacular victory at UFC 320. As far as Andy Aspinall is concerned, there is only one heavyweight opponent for Pereira if he moves up — the one who leaves Abu Dhabi with the belt over their shoulder.

“My opinion is that Jones shouldn’t automatically be given that fight with Pereira,” Andy Aspinall said. “Obviously, the UFC can do whatever they want, but I think he should prove to the UFC that he’s not going to mess them about anymore. With Pereira it’s a different ball game. He likes to fight and he gets fights done. I think if Tom wins he should fight Pereira. It would be a great fight for everybody.”