Tag: Tom Aspinall

Despite ‘worst circumstances possible,’ Tom Aspinall certain he’ll leave UFC 295 as interim champ

Tom Aspinall admits “two weeks isn’t long enough to prepare for a fight,” but he still feels good about beating Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295.

NEW YORK – [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] admits “two weeks isn’t long enough to prepare for a fight,” but he thinks he can still get the job done and beat Sergei Pavlovich for the interim heavyweight title at UFC 295.

After an injury to champion Jon Jones scratched Saturday’s original headliner against Stipe Miocic, the UFC shifted gears and booked Aspinall (13-3 MMA, 6-1 UFC) vs. Pavlovich (17-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) for the interim belt at Madison Square Garden. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and ESPN+.

Although the situation isn’t ideal with less than three weeks’ notice, Aspinall thinks he can overcome any challenges and emerge with his hand raised.

“I’m fighting the scariest guy in MMA in my opinion, in the worst circumstances possible without a training camp,” Aspinall told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s UFC 295 media day. “I obviously think I can win. I’m not the kind of guy who shows up for money. I ain’t signing a contract and showing up if I don’t think I can win. I truly, truly believe that I’m going to win on Saturday night. I’m an absolute winner, and I’m going to find a way to win regardless of the circumstances.”

Aspinall, 30, admits he hasn’t necessarily had the time to craft and hone in the perfect game plan, but he thinks he knows what he’s dealing with in Pavlovich, who has won his past six fights by first-round knockout.

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In order to give himself the best shot, Aspinall thinks he needs to relish everything and churn it into something positive.

“I think it’s heavyweight MMA,” Aspinall said. “You’ve got to see what happens. He’s a very, very dangerous guy. As am I. I’m just focused on going out there and enjoying it. The is my absolute dream come true: Madison Square Garden, Pavlovich.”

In a normal world, the winner of Aspinall vs. Pavlovich would be set up for a fight with Jones next. However, UFC CEO Dana White said that will not be the case, and the promotion instead plans to reschedule the fight with Jones and Miocic once the champ is healthy.

Some have argued that the UFC should’ve stripped Jones and made Aspinall vs. Pavlovich for the undisputed title. Aspinall said he’s not overthinking all the finer details of this whole thing, but he

“I’m fine with the interim. I’m not too bothered,” Aspinall said. “It’ll work itself out, I’m sure. Jon Jones is obviously one of the best to ever do. I’ve got a lot of respect for him and hopefully we’ll get to share the cage one day.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.

Michael Bisping: Tom Aspinall easily beats Sergei Pavlovich, becomes ‘greatest heavyweight champion the UFC has ever seen’

Heading into UFC 295, Michael Bisping has made bold predictions about Tom Aspinall’s immediate future and his career.

[autotag]Michael Bisping[/autotag] has made bold predictions about [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag]’s immediate future and his career.

Aspinall (13-3 MMA, 6-1 UFC) faces Sergei Pavlovich (18-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) for the interim heavyweight title in Saturday’s UFC 295 co-main event at Madison Square Garden in New York. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and early prelims on ESPN+.

Since returning from knee surgery, Aspinall ran through Marcin Tybura in just over a minute this past July – notching his 12th career first-round stoppage. Pavlovich also has been dispatching his opponents early, scoring six consecutive first-round knockouts. But Bisping sees Aspinall taking Pavlovich down quickly and finishing him on the mat.

“Tom Aspinall once again is going to make this look easy,” Bisping said on the TNT Sports UFC 295 preview show. “He’s going to make this look easy. He’s going to jab him, then he’s going to level change, he’s going to take him down, and he will finish him. First round.”

Bisping previously said UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones doesn’t hold a candle to Aspinall, a statement he stands by. He even went as far as to say Aspinall will cement himself as the best heavyweight in UFC history.

“I do believe (Aspinall) beats (Pavlovich). I believe he makes it look relatively easy, and that’s not disrespect to Sergei,” Bisping said. “It’s because of how capable Tom is. And I think the skillset that he has, he’s got all the ingredients to get him the win here. I think he beats him. I think he beats Jon Jones if that comes up, and I think he dominates the heavyweight division for quite some time, and he will retire as the greatest heavyweight champion that the UFC has ever seen. I’m serious.

“I’ve always said this about Tom, and after Marcin Tybura, I said in the post-fight show, I said Jon Jones couldn’t hold a candle to Tom Aspinall, and people came after me online, and I understand why. This is Jon Jones. Maybe there was a little bit of recency bias from how devastatingly easy he beat Marcin Tybura, but he does that every time. Every time.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.

UFC veterans in MMA, boxing, and bareknuckle MMA action Nov. 8-12

Check out which veterans of the UFC are competing in combat sports across the globe this weekend.

This week, the UFC returns to New York for a big pay-per-view event at Madison Square Garden.

UFC 295 features a pair of title fights in the light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions. In the co-feature, [autotag]Sergei Pavlovich[/autotag] takes on [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] for the interim heavyweight title, while [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag] meets [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] for the vacant light heavyweight crown in the main event.

Elsewhere, many other combat sports events are taking place that feature a number of familiar names that have competed under the UFC banner.

Check out which veterans of the global MMA leader are competing in MMA, bareknuckle MMA and boxing Nov. 8-12.

Scroll below to see how the UFC veterans fared last week, and see the names and details of this weekend’s competitors.

Upcoming event information from Tapology.

UFC free fight: Tom Aspinall runs through Marcin Tybura in first-round TKO

Ahead of UFC 295, watch Tom Aspinall make quick work of veteran Marcin Tybura in his return from a knee injury this past July.

[autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag]’s return from injury was as flawless as can be.

The English heavyweight title contender made quick work of veteran Marcin Tybura this past July in the main event of UFC Fight Night 224 in London. Aspinall just needed a little over a minute to drop Tybura and then finish him with ground-and-pound. The first-round TKO victory marked Aspinall’s return from a serious knee injury sustained in July 2022.

You can watch Aspinall’s impressive win in the video above.

Aspinall (13-3 MMA, 6-1 UFC) returns this Saturday in the co-main event of UFC 295, which goes down at Madison Square Garden in New York. He takes on Sergei Pavlovich (18-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) for the interim heavyweight title.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.

Video: UFC 295 media day interviews

Before UFC 295 on Saturday, hear from the main card fighters at media day in New York.

NEW YORK – The UFC 295, which takes place at Madison Square Garden with a main card that airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and ESPN+, goes down Saturday.

Before fight night arrives, though, notable athletes from the main card and preliminary spoke to reporters Wednesday at media day.

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If you happen to miss any of the individual sessions on the live stream, check below for the archived videos of each media day.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.

UFC 295 ‘Embedded,’ No. 2: Alex Pereira reacts to Glory Hall of Fame announcement

The “Embedded” fight-week video series is back to document what’s happening behind the scenes at UFC 295 in New York.

The UFC is back for its regular fall trip to “The Big Apple,” and the popular “Embedded” fight week video series is here to document what’s happening behind the scenes.

UFC 295 takes place Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and early prelims on ESPN+.

In the main event, former light heavyweight champion [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag] (29-3-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) and ex-middleweight champ [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] (8-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) meet for the vacant 205-pound title. Pereira will attempt to become the UFC’s newest two-division titleholder.

In the co-feature, the interim heavyweight title is on the line between [autotag]Sergei Pavlovich[/autotag] (18-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) and [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 6-1 UFC), who are fighting for that belt after champ Jon Jones suffered an injury training for his fight with Stipe Miocic, which was the card’s original headliner.

The second episode of “Embedded” follows the featured fighters while they get ready for fight week. Here is the UFC’s description of the episode from YouTube:

Alex Pereira makes it into a hall of fame. Mackenzie Dern puts family first. Tom Aspinall crosses the pond and gets to work. Sergei Pavlovich pushes himself. Jiri Prochazka perfects his form. Don’t miss UFC 295 on Saturday, November 11.

Also see:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.

UFC 295 pre-event facts: Alex Pereira’s two-division title bid comes with historic twist

Check out the facts behind UFC 295, where Alex Pereira can join the two-division titleholder club in a way that differs from everyone else.

The UFC makes its annual stop in New York on Saturday with UFC 295, which takes place at Madison Square Garden with a pair of title fights that top the pay-per-view main card following prelims on ESPNews and ESPN+.

In the main event, [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag] (29-3-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) will return to competition from a significant injury to face [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] (8-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) for the vacant light heavyweight belt. The co-headliner will see [autotag]Sergei Pavlovich[/autotag] (17-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) clash with [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 6-1 UFC) in an interim heavyweight championship contest.

For more on the numbers behind the title-fight doubleheader, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC 295.

UFC 295 ‘Embedded,’ No. 1: Jiri Prochazka takes his training to the playground

The “Embedded” fight-week video series is back to document what’s happening behind the scenes at UFC 295 in New York.

The UFC is back for its regular fall trip to “The Big Apple,” and the popular “Embedded” fight week video series is here to document what’s happening behind the scenes.

UFC 295 takes place Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and early prelims on ESPN+.

In the main event, former light heavyweight champion [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag] (29-3-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) and ex-middleweight champ [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] (8-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) meet for the vacant 205-pound title. Pereira will attempt to become the UFC’s newest two-division titleholder.

In the co-feature, the interim heavyweight title is on the line between [autotag]Sergei Pavlovich[/autotag] (18-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) and [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 6-1 UFC), who are fighting for that belt after champ Jon Jones suffered an injury training for his fight with Stipe Miocic, which was the card’s original headliner.

The first episode of “Embedded” follows the featured fighters while they get ready for fight week. Here is the UFC’s description of the episode from YouTube:

Jiri Prochazka returns to action. Alex Pereira enjoys a new division. Mackenzie Dern trains at home. Tom Aspinall levels up, and opponent Sergei Pavlovich reaches a goal.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.

Video: UFC 295 ‘Countdown’ for Sergei Pavlovich vs. Tom Aspinall

Did you miss the debut of UFC 295 “Countdown” or just want to watch it again? Check out the co-main event preview now.

Did you miss the debut of UFC 295 “Countdown” or just want to watch it again? Check out the co-main event preview now.

The segment takes a special look at the interim heavyweight title fight between [autotag]Sergei Pavlovich[/autotag] (18-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) and [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 6-1 UFC), who are fighting for the interim belt after champ Jon Jones suffered an injury training for his fight with Stipe Miocic, the card’s original headliner.

UFC 295 takes place Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and early prelims on ESPN+.

“Countdown” goes behind the scenes with the two fighters, and you can watch the full segment above. And don’t miss the entire episode in the video below.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.

Video: Jon Jones’ injury leads to interim title bout at UFC 295, but did the promotion get it right?

Our “Spinning Back Clique” discusses how the promotion handled UFC 295 after Jon Jones’ injury prompted an interim heavyweight title bout.

[autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] was the source of another UFC pay-per-view overhaul.

The heavyweight champion suffered a torn pectoral muscle while in camp for his massive showdown against Stipe Miocic in New York, prompting the promotion to create an interim title fight between Sergei Pavlovich and Tom Aspinall.

Jones could be out for another year, which leaves Miocic on the sidelines as a healthy scratch. Both parties seem to only want that fight next, but Miocic said the UFC never reached out to him to offer the interim title fight.

How did the promotion handle this situation? Should Miocic have been given the opportunity to fight Aspinall or Pavlovich? Is attempting to keep Jones vs. Miocic together the right play?

We asked our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Mike Bohn, Danny Segura and Brian “Goze” Garcia to look at the heavyweight title picture with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia.

You can watch their discussion in the video above and check out this week’s full episode on YouTube or in podcast form below.

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