Latest news with #Aspinall
News18
2 hours ago
- Sport
- News18
Dricus Du Plessis Praises Tom Aspinall, Predicts Long UFC Championship Reign
Middleweight king Dricus Du Plessis, praised heavyweight Tom Aspinall, calling him a next-gen talent. UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis has officially joined the Tom Aspinall hype train, and his praise is nothing short of music to MMA fans' ears. The South African champion recently dropped some serious knowledge about what makes the English heavyweight such a special talent. 'He's (Aspinall) almost the next generation of heavyweight, in my opinion, where he moves like a middleweight. He's light on his feet. He can grapple, he can strike, he can wrestle, so I'm really happy for him. I think he's going to be a great champion and I think he's going to be a champion for a long time. I don't think there's a lot of heavyweights on his level right now," Du Plessis said in an interview. He also revealed that Aspinall caught his attention from day one. 'The first time you saw Tom Aspinall fight, you knew there was something special," he said. The praise comes at a perfect time for Aspinall, who recently ascended to undisputed heavyweight champion following Jon Jones' retirement. The 32-year-old Englishman has been on an absolute tear, showcasing the exact qualities du Plessis highlighted. With explosive first-round knockouts over Curtis Blaydes and Sergei Pavlovich, Aspinall has proven he possesses that rare combination of technical brilliance and devastating power. 'Usually I can watch guys fight and I can get a feel for what the plan of attack is and the strategy and what they're gonna do and the way they're gonna move. With DDP, it's just a complete mystery," Aspinall had said. The heavyweight division needed the energy injection, and Aspinall appears ready to deliver. His record-breaking UFC average fight time of just two minutes and two seconds demonstrates the finishing ability that has du Plessis impressed. With his first title defense against Ciryl Gane on the horizon, Aspinall has the perfect opportunity to prove that du Plessis' prediction about his championship longevity is spot-on. Meanwhile, du Plessis has his own title defense to worry about, facing the dangerous Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319. The grappling streamroller, Chimaev, is undefeated in his career and has been dominant in almost all his performances. Dricus, undefeated in the UFC, can prove to be the kryptonite needed to derail 'Borz", while Chimaev's suffocating offensive wrestling can halt the South African's blitzes. Whatever the result, one can always count on du Plessis to deliver pure, unadulterated entertainment in the octagon and outside of it. view comments First Published: July 31, 2025, 09:25 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
USA Today
5 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
UFC champion Tom Aspinall is in a 'tough spot' vs. Ciryl Gane, says Din Thomas
Din Thomas thinks there's a massive amount of pressure on UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall. Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) waited for over a year for his title-unification bout with Jon Jones (28-1 MMA, 22-1 UFC) to materialize, but Jones eventually retired and relinquished the championship. As a result, Aspinall was promoted as undisputed champion and will meet Ciryl Gane in the UFC 321 headliner Oct. 25 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Thomas says Aspinall has to top Jones' performance against Gane (13-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC), where he needed just over two minutes to submit him at UFC 285. "I have to assume this is a nerve-racking spot for Tom Aspinall because he talked himself into a position, and we've all talked him into a position, where he's the best guy," Thomas told MMA Junkie. "Jon dismissed him and dismissed him and dismissed him. Then Jon dispatched of Ciryl Gane. "So anything less than a first-round finish is going to be almost a disappointment for Tom Aspinall. Even a close win is going to be like, 'See, I told you, I beat that guy in seconds.' This is actually a pretty tough spot for Tom. If this fight had happened earlier it might be different, but this is a tough spot for Tom." With Jones already claiming he's out of retirement and wants to compete on next year's White House event, Thomas urges Aspinall to capitalize if he can get past Gane. "Fighters always think they're more important than they are," Thomas said. "We'll get to find out how important he really is. But a win here can really make him important. A big win against Ciryl Gane in Abu Dhabi and he grabs that mic, that's going to be the most important minute of his entire life. To be like, 'Yo, I just beat the guy that you beat, I beat him in two minutes and two seconds, and now I want to fight Jon Jones at the White House.' It's written. ...It doesn't matter if it happens or not. It doesn't matter. "But the idea of him saying that. Just attaching himself, further attaching himself, to the situation. Now there's no denying. Now what would Jon Jones' rebuttal be. Now he can't say anything. That's the biggest thing. Even if the fight doesn't happen and Tom Aspinall goes on his run. If I'm Tom Aspinall and Jon Jones dismisses me, I'm going on a run. I'm beating up Derrick Lewis. I'm going after Jailton Almeida. I'm going after all these guys and create my won lane. But to say that to Jon Jones would be the nail in the coffin to me to Jon Jones' rebuttals."
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Cyril Gane's coach says Tom Aspinall has "more pressure on him than any other fighter in the last decade"
After years of orbiting each other in the UFC heavyweight rankings, Ciryl Gane and Tom Aspinall will finally meet at UFC 321 on Oct. 25 in Abu Dhabi. The fight will be the first official undisputed heavyweight title defense for the champion Aspinall after his promotion from interim status in the wake of Jon Jones' retirement earlier this year. Long before that, however, he and Gane seemed destined to collide, with occasional finger-pointing over reasons why it's yet to come to fruition. Gane's coach Fernand Lopez has been somewhat frustrated by the saga over the years, and ultimately sees Aspinall with all the pressure — despite Gane's previous title bids coming up short. "The part of the whining where he's talking about people avoiding him — do you really think in this division when you get in the top 10, and when you get to the third, the second one, the champ, you really think that people are making the choices guided by fear?" Lopez said on Tuesday's edition of Uncrowned's "The Ariel Helwani Show." "That makes no sense. Do you really think that anyone in the fight game, in the top 10, would be scared? "You can name whoever you want. Derrick Lewis, one of the best knockout artists in the division. Jairzinho [Rozenstruik], Francis Ngannou, everyone. It's not about being scared of someone. It's about making choices. I choose to fight with you, or I don't choose to fight with you, and we will call you a coward, or someone who ducked a fight when the UFC gives you a major proposition, and you say no. Not because anyone calls you out. This is the part that annoys me. "Him saying that he will retire Cyril Gane, or he will erase him from the title run, makes sense for me. This is fair enough. It's OK. It's hard to build the fight in total to clash a little bit. But just keep this in mind: Tom Aspinall has more pressure on him than any other fighter has experienced in the last decade. Can you imagine what will happen if Tom Aspinall does not deliver on October 25? That will be beyond an embarrassment. This is a lot of pressure that you don't want to take on your shoulders." Gane and Aspinall have gone in separate directions of sorts since the divisional landscape dramatically shifted with Ngannou's departure in 2022. While Aspinall was on the mend from his torn ACL against Curtis Blaydes, Gane went on to face Jones for the vacant title, succumbing to a first-round guillotine choke. Aspinall ultimately returned to score two wins, earning him the interim heavyweight title before he defended the strap in his rematch with Blaydes this time last year. Meanwhile, Gane returned to title contention with a two-fight winning streak that included victories over Serghei Spivac and Alexander Volkov. Having watched the saga not only between Gane and Aspinall over the years, but Aspinall and Jones, Lopez has found it all more aggravating than exciting. "It's kind of annoying, whining around saying that ... Ciryl ducked him and this and that," Lopez said. "Everyone ducked him, he's walking around like we're a duck. It's kind of annoying because generally, the few times we met with Tom, the family, everything was so respectful and smooth. Even in Paris, the guy decided to fly from London by himself. "He decided on his own to fly to Paris and challenge Ciryl. I'm there, and then no one at the UFC asked us if we want Tom to get in the cage. No one. Everything was smooth. Then you have someone cageside, who says to you, 'Well, I want to fight you. Can you call me out?' Why should [Gane] do that? So Ciryl didn't call him out. Obviously, he's looking forward and he started to think about how to make better on his career, so he was looking forward to trying to fight Jon Jones. Because at that time, I think that Tom was fifth in the rankings, or something like that. "That very night, when Tom was saying that, he was kind of frustrated because he didn't have Ciryl calling him out. At the same night, you can see them with [Michael] Bisping, with Ciryl hanging around at the afterparty. Everything was very friendly, so I don't know if it's frustration or what he's doing, but I find that very annoying. I can understand what Jon Jones is saying. That sounds annoying to come back and try to tease people. The fight is happening, so let's just come down and have this fight." Gane and Lopez had their eyes on Aspinall long before they started to prep for a potential matchup, dating back to when Aspinall took on their team member Alan Baudot in 2020. Despite any frustrations toward Aspinall and the bizarre nature of how the division has unfolded, Lopez understands the talent Aspinall possesses — even if he believes it may be somewhat overblown. "Tom is a good fighter. Don't get me wrong," Lopez said. "He's one of the best, but I just want to let you know that people tend to overreact and overrate someone very quickly. Let's really check. You guys are telling us that this guy was doing BJJ a very long time, when he was a teenager. ... Did he win any ADCC? What happened? "So, I think that we need to be a little bit careful with what we are saying. ... What I just know is that if we are taking this fight, we are pretty sure that Ciryl can make this out. It's a hard fight, but I think Ciryl has what it takes."
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Tom Aspinall Shares Key Update on His Heavyweight Title Defense
Tom Aspinall Shares Key Update on His Heavyweight Title Defense originally appeared on Athlon Sports. After 359 days out, the UFC heavyweight champ finally gives a clear update on what's next. It has been 359 days and counting since Tom Aspinall last stepped inside the UFC Octagon. The heavyweight champion's most recent appearance came at UFC 304 in July 2024, where he delivered a statement performance by avenging his only UFC loss to Curtis Blaydes with a first-round knockout. Now, as the wait stretches close to a year, the champ is finally hinting that big things are ahead. In a recent sit-down interview with UFC on Eurosport, Aspinall provided an update on his highly anticipated return. When asked if his next fight is officially locked in, the champion didn't hesitate: 'Yes it is. As far as signed, I can't remember the last time I've physically signed a contract. They just ask me and I say yes—usually I sign the contract on fight week.' That candid response signals something concrete is coming soon, and fans have every reason to keep their eyes on the heavyweight scene. This next move isn't just important for Aspinall; it's crucial for the UFC. The heavyweight division has been stuck in limbo following Jon Jones' long absence and his back-and-forth over whether to defend the title or walk away for good. Now, with Aspinall committed to staying active, momentum could finally return to a weight class that's been begging for clarity. The champion has vowed to defend his belt often and 'clean out the division.' If that promise holds true, the heavyweight landscape is about to heat up in a big way—and soon. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 21, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Dana White Reveals UFC 321 Heavyweight Main Event, Jon Jones Era Officially Over
Dana White Reveals UFC 321 Heavyweight Main Event, Jon Jones Era Officially Over originally appeared on Athlon Sports. When Dana White announced Jon Jones' retirement from the UFC, Tom Aspinall was immediately crowned the undisputed heavyweight champion. After going nearly a year without fighting, Aspinall revealed that he has lofty goals within the heavyweight division, and that includes defeating the entire top 10 roster. In an interview with UFC veteran Stefan Struve, Aspinall inched closer toward that goal, revealing that he had officially signed a contract. As to who his opponent would be, most MMA media believe it would be Ciryl Gane, who climbed back to title contention talks ever since his loss to Jones at UFC 285. Today, Dana White has announced a slew of title fights for the upcoming pay-per-view slate, including a heavyweight championship clash between Aspinall and Gane. He announced via Instagram Live, 'UFC 321, October 25th, Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Tom Aspinall will face Ciryl Gane. Aspinall has 15 wins, and all of them are by finish. Gane is the no. 1-ranked heavyweight.' Watch the full announcement here: Initially, Aspinall was expected to unify the titles against Jones, but the former champion's inactivity left the division in limbo. Although Jones has recently announced his intentions of returning to the UFC for the White House pay-per-view event, the heavyweight champion, Aspinall, has a new opponent to train for currently in Gane. Now, Aspinall aims to prove he's more than a placeholder champion, while Gane seeks redemption after his previous title losses. Gane will be given another attempt at touching undisputed championship status after losing his last two title fights to Francis Ngannou and Jones. The rest of the card is expected to feature other high-profile bouts, with other fights yet to be announced. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 22, 2025, where it first appeared.
