Rising UFC heavyweight Tom Aspinall has suggested he has a lot more to offer inside the Octagon than he’s shown so far.
Since arriving on MMA’s biggest stage in 2020, Aspinall has not only established himself as one of the fastest up-and-coming British fighters in the UFC but one of the hottest prospects in the promotion, period.
In four fights, the Englishman has recorded three first-round TKOs, including against fellow ranked contender Sergey Spivak and a second-round submission of former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski.
Having placed himself within touching distance of the top 10, Aspinall is set for the biggest test of his career at UFC London this weekend. In the main event, he’ll face perennial contender and former Bellator titleholder Alexander Volkov.
While “Drago,” who’ll be appearing in a UFC headliner for the sixth time on Saturday, may think he knows what to expect when he shares the cage with Aspinall, the Manchester native begs to differ.
Aspinall Teases Wider Skillset
Despite earning his first main event spot and climbing the heavyweight ladder at a fast pace, Aspinall has accumulated just five minutes and 59 seconds inside the Octagon.
With that said, Aspinall told the media on Wednesday that he’s only scratched the surface of his skillset.
“A lot of these heavyweights and people who watch the sport, they think that I’m just good at certain things,” said Aspinall. “It’s not that I’m just good at certain things, I’ve just not had the opportunity to show what I am good at, because I’ve been in the Octagon for such a small amount of time… I’ve not had the opportunity to show—no wrestling, no grappling, no cardio, no kicks. I’ve not done any of this stuff just because I’ve not had the chance to.
“I’d like to keep myself a secret for as long as possible,” added Aspinall. “These heavyweights think they know some stuff about me, they don’t know shit about me. They don’t know nothing about me. They’ve seen this (small gesture) much of my game. So anybody out there who thinks they know what my game is, they don’t know nothing.”
With a victory over an established name like Volkov, Aspinall would certainly join the group of elites at heavyweight and add his name to the title conversation.
With Tai Tuivasa emerging victorious in his big opportunity to climb the ranks last month, Aspinall will hope to follow in the footsteps of his Australian counterpart on March 19.
Who do you think will have their hand raised in the UFC London main event, Tom Aspinall or Alexander Volkov?
