Tom Aspinall was literally the complete opposite of intimidated prior to the start of his UFC London main event against Alexander Volkov.
At UFC London, Tom Aspinall extended his UFC record to 5-0, with all five victories being finishes and four of the five winning Performance of the Night honors. The latest victory came at the expense of the man deemed to be his toughest test to date, top-10 heavyweight veteran Alexander Volkov.
If Volkov was Aspinall's stiffest challenge, you would have never guessed it in watching the outcome of the UFC London main event. Aspinall made short work of Volkov and outclassed him on the feet and on the mat before scoring the straight-armbar submission finish in the first round.
But before the fight kicked off, Aspinall felt that he had already won. This came after Volkov's alleged attempt to intimidate him with a pre-fight staredown only backfired and swelled the Brit's confidence to levels that made him virtually unbeatable.
“Volkov would not take his eyes off me. And I think he thought he was gonna intimidate me…I actually laughed at it," Aspinall said at the UFC London post-fight press conference. "Like, you can ask (my corner), [Volkov] was looking over and I just went like, 'Ha!' And I think it was all downhill from there for him.”
One thing that isn't a laughing matter is Aspinall's current career trajectory. Although, if he has it his way, that trajectory will lead him onto the path of notorious heavyweight joker Tai "Bam Bam" Tuivasa.
Aspinall called Tuivasa out after the fight, and this pairing could make sense for both parties. Tuivasa is currently ranked #3, and this victory over Volkov will potentially send Aspinall into the top 5.
Meanwhile, Alexander Volkov is not laughing one bit after coming up on the losing end of two of his last three fights. However, despite his many years of experience, Volkov is still only 33 years old. Therefore, he still has more than enough time to pick up some wins and do whatever is necessary to potentially land a rematch with Aspinall down the line, where the Russian would have an opportunity to wipe the smile off of Aspinall's face.
What are your thoughts on these comments from Tom Aspinall?