In case anyone doubted it, Tom Aspinall is as motivated as he's ever been heading into UFC 321.
On Saturday night, Tom Aspinall will defend his UFC heavyweight championship against Ciryl Gane in the main event of UFC 321. In the eyes of many, Gane's striking poses an interesting threat for Tom to deal with - but in equal measure, the speed and precision of Aspinall makes him one of the most dangerous heavyweights we've seen in the recent history of mixed martial arts.
Given how long he's been away from the cage, some have questioned whether or not Tom Aspinall is still as driven as he once was to be world champion. After the Jon Jones fight fell through, it took some time before we got confirmation as to what his immediate future looked like - but the man himself insists that he's been in the gym training and getting better this entire time.
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Tom Aspinall is ready to defend his champion status
"I'm the champion. I fight the number one contender. That's how, in my opinion, that's how champions are supposed to work. It's like, you're the guy, you fight the next guy. Prove you the best. And, uh, you rinse and repeat that for as long as possible."
Aspinall is ready, and based on recent evidence, the same can be said for his challenger Ciryl Gane.