Tag: Tom Aspinall

Tom Aspinall: Curtis Blaydes rematch at UFC 304 is a ‘lose-lose’ because he’s ‘not that popular’

Tom Aspinall says the upside of defending his interim title vs. Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 is limited because he’s “not that popular.”

[autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] admits he’s risking a whole lot by rematching [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] in the UFC 304 co-main event.

Aspinall (14-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) will attempt to defend his interim heavyweight title when he runs it back with Blaydes (18-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC) on July 27 at Co-op Live in Manchester, England (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+). His dream scenario was a unification bout with Jon Jones, but after acknowledging that’s likely not going to materialize with “Bones” determined to face Stipe Miocic next, he agreed to move on.

The offer that came through was a rematch with Blaydes, who Aspinall suffered his lone UFC loss against when he suffered a knee injury just 15 seconds into their UFC Fight Night 208 headliner in July 2022. Aspinall likes the idea of getting back the result on his record against Blaydes, but outside of that, he said the upside is minimal.

“There’s unfinished business there, evidently,” Aspinall told The Mac Life. “I’ve said this all along. I’ve said this before we last fought, which is over two years ago now: I believe that Curtis is the toughest matchup in the division for me stylistically. This is no disrespect to Curtis – it’s a bit of a lose-lose fight in the fact that he’s not that popular, is what I’m saying. He’s not that popular.

“The guys that you want to fight are the guys who stylistically you match up well with, and they’re really popular. They’re the guys you want to fight, and Curtis is kind of the opposite of that. I’m not saying anything bad about Curtis or anything, but he’s not the most popular guy ever, and he’s really good. I’m looking forward to it, though. None of that really makes a difference to me. I am preparing now 100 percent for Curtis.”

[lawrence-related id=2742812,2741617]

After the interim title contest was booked for UFC 304, Jones chimed in on the “No. 1 contender bout” and said he thinks Blaydes could pull off a legitimate victory this time around.

Aspinall doesn’t begrudge Jones for that assessment, but is not bothered by it, because he’s the one fighting in just over two months time, while Jones remains on the sidelines.

“He might (beat me) – it’s heavyweight MMA at the top level,” Aspinall said. “Someone always might win. And I believe in myself. Yeah, I think I’m good. I think I’m the best in the world. But does that make me invincible? No. Absolutely not. It’s heavyweight MMA. One shot off Curtis and the ref might be waking me up. That’s how it works. This is heavyweight MMA at the peak of the mountain. Of course there’s a chance I can get knocked out. I’m fully aware of that. But I’m putting it all on the line, and quite frankly, (Jones) isn’t.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 304.

Video: Which fight slated for UFC 304 interests you most?

UFC 304 gets stacked after the announcement of several matchups, including Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad. We break down the key fights on this card in this week’s episode of “Spinning Back Clique.”

On the latest episode of “Spinning Back Clique,” the panel reacts to the big fight announcements for UFC 304.

Last week, UFC CEO Dana White announced several key matchups for the promotion’s return to Manchester including a welterweight title fight between [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] and [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag], [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag]’s defense of his heavyweight interim title against [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag], and [autotag]Paddy Pimblett[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag].

What do these matchups mean for each respective fighter? What can we expect from these bouts?

MMA Junkie’s Goze Garcia, Farah Hannoun, Danny Segura, and host Gorgeous George break down the biggest fights on the UFC 304 card.

Watch their discussion in the video above, and also don’t miss this week’s complete episode of “Spinning Back Clique” below on YouTube.

https://youtube.com/live/8yKez0zdal4

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=420030788]

For Curtis Blaydes, UFC 304 rematch with ‘cool dude’ Tom Aspinall feels brand new

Curtis Blaydes has no reason to hate Tom Aspinall nor will he manufacture animosity before they step in the cage again at UFC 304.

[autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] has shared the octagon before with UFC interim heavyweight champion [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] before – but not really.

When they first met in July 2022, all it took was one leg kick gone wrong from Aspinall to suffer a serious fight-ending knee injury in just 15 seconds. Two years later, Aspinall (14-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) and Blaydes (18-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC) are set to meet in the UFC 304 main event on July 27 at Co-Op Live in Manchester, England.

And far as Blaydes is concerned, it’s only right that they’ll face off for UFC gold.

“I knew that I would have another opportunity to fight him again,” Blaydes told MMA Junkie. “Whether or not it was for a belt, I wouldn’t have been able to guess it. But I think it’s a little poetic that it is for a belt.”

Thinking back to those 15 seconds, the only real takeaway for Blaydes is that he remembers Aspinall being aggressive and unafraid to put himself within range of a takedown. “He came at me fast and hard,” Blaydes said.

Other than, there’s nothing really of use from their first encounter.

“Immediately after the fight, as I’m not even out of my shorts yet, I’m telling my coach, Vinny, ‘What can we get from this fight?'” Blaydes said. “Nothing happened. I don’t know what to take from it. … There’s not a whole lot you can take from a fight that doesn’t even last half-a-minute.”

Adding to the mystery is the fact that since Aspinall returned from a year-long layoff following their fight, he’s got just a combined 2:22 of cage time in two first-round finishes – TKO of Marcin Tybura in just 1:13 followed by his interim title-winning knockout of Sergei Pavlovich in 1:09 last November at UFC 295.

This doesn’t give Blaydes much to study in terms of film, but he knows better than to believe Aspinall isn’t a different fighter since they met.

“I’m not gonna think that over the past two-and-a-half years he hasn’t added anything else to his game,” Blaydes said. “He just hasn’t had to use it. That’s not to say he doesn’t have it.”

Blaydes, who’s won three of his past four bouts, including a second-round knockout of Jailton Almeida most recently in March, feels like his first shot at UFC gold – interim or undisputed – has been a long time coming. And it couldn’t have come against a better guy than Aspinall.

“He’s a cool dude,” Blaydes said. “There’s no beef. I don’t know if I’ll be able to, but I would like to disperse the negative narrative that you have to hate the guy you’re gonna fight. I’ve been an athlete since I was 9, never hated any of my opponents, won a lot – football, wrestling, jiu-jitsu, MMA. Never hated anybody. You don’t have to hate somebody to physically compete and do your best to win. I know he’s gonna do his best to knock me out; I’m gonna do my best to knock him out. But there’s no animosity behind it. It’s just that’s his job, that’s my job.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 304.

Tom Aspinall says next fight after Curtis Blaydes has to be for undisputed belt: ‘I’ll wait it out if I have to’

Tom Aspinall doesn’t plan to keep defending his UFC interim title.

[autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] doesn’t plan to keep defending his UFC interim title.

Aspinall (14-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) was hoping to unify his belt with heavyweight champion Jon Jones, but he’ll have to wait until Jones defends his belt against Stipe Miocic first.

In the meantime, Aspinall defends his interim title in a rematch against [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] (18-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC) in the UFC 304 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) co-main event July 27 at the Co-op Live in Manchester, England.

Aspinall’s lone UFC loss came to Blaydes by TKO in July 2022, where he blew out his knee just 15 seconds into the fight.

“My confidence has grown loads since then,” Aspinall told talkSPORT MMA. “Just everything’s better. I’m a new version of myself than I was when I fought (Blaydes) last time, and he’s improved, as well, so whole new fight this time.”

Aspinall won’t hold his breath when it comes to fighting Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC). All he knows is that if he gets past Blaydes, he will only fight for the undisputed title next. Jones and Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) are expected to fight Nov. 9 in New York.

“I’m over it at this point,” Aspinall said of Jones. “I’m fighting Curtis Blaydes. It’s a tough fight and I’m preparing for Curtis, so Jon Jones and all the rest of the politics are pretty irrelevant to me right now. (I’m) focused on him and nothing else. … If I win this one, which I believe I will, the next fight has to be for undisputed (title) – definitely. I’ll wait it out if I have to after this one. But for right now, that doesn’t exist.”

[lawrence-related id=2741665,2741617,2741580,2741378]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 304.

Spinning Back Clique REPLAY: Edwards vs. Muhammad, Aspinall to defend interim belt, UFC & Bellator results, more

On “Spinning Back Clique,” our panel discusses the announced matchups for UFC 304, Lerone Murphy’s big win over Edson Barboza, UFC 302, and more.

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly live show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.

This week’s panel of Brian “Goze” Garcia, Farah Hannoun and Danny Segura will join host “Gorgeous” George Garcia live at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate the following topics:

  • UFC 304 is stacking up. The promotion announced several key matchups for its July 27 return to Manchester, England. The announcement included two title fights in [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] for the undisputed welterweight title and [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] for the interim heavyweight belt. Additionally, [autotag]Paddy Pimblett[/autotag]’s return was revealed to be against veteran [autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag]. Tons to digest.
  • UFC Fight Night 241 is in the books. In the main event of the card, [autotag]Lerone Murphy[/autotag] had a breakout performance, defeating veteran [autotag]Edson Barboza[/autotag] in dominant fashion. Murphy, who’s undefeated in his MMA career, called for a top-10 opponent after the win. Who should Murphy fight next? Where does Barboza go from here? We break it all down.
  • PFL held yet another of their new Bellator Championship Series events, this time in Paris. In the main event of Bellator Champions Series: Paris, [autotag]Patchy Mix[/autotag] defended his bantamweight title in a close split decision win over [autotag]Magomed Magomedov[/autotag]. The co-main event saw French star [autotag]Cedric Doumbe[/autotag] make quick work of Jaleel Willis. Two big results for Bellator. So what’s next for both these fighters? We discuss.
  • “Spinning Back Clique” will be off on Memorial Day, but don’t worry, we got you covered with a UFC 302 preview. This week, we’ll take a look at the UFC’s next pay-per-view event, which features a UFC lightweight title bout between [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] and [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag]. We analyze what’s likely going to be Poirier’s final tine shot, along with the co-main event middleweight bout between [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] and [autotag]Paulo Costa[/autotag].

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=420030788]

Curtis Blaydes: UFC 304 fight vs. Tom Aspinall for ‘real belt,’ Jon Jones won’t unify with winner

Curtis Blaydes thinks Jon Jones will hold onto his title clout as long as possibly, but won’t unify with him or Tom Aspinall after UFC 304.

[autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] isn’t holding out hope that [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] will unify the heavyweight championship with the winner of his UFC 304 co-main event vs. [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag].

With Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) recovering from injury and holding out for a title defense vs. Stipe Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) on Nov. 9 at Madison Square Garden in New York, the UFC booked a rematch with eager interim champion Aspinall (14-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) against Blaydes (18-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC) on July 27 at Co-op Live in Manchester, England.

In ordinary circumstances, the winner of Jones vs. Miocic would face the winner of Aspinall vs. Blaydes. It remains to be seen what Miocic would do with an upset victory, but the majority of expectations are for Jones to win and potentially retire. “Bones” teased he would make the unification happen when he dubbed Aspinall vs. Blaydes as a fight for the No. 1 contender spot, but that’s far from a commitment.

Aspinall has made it clear he thinks Jones won’t fight him, and Blaydes is in the same boat.

“If I win or if Aspinall wins, I don’t think Jon’s going to fight anyone outside of Stipe,” Blaydes told MMA Junkie on Friday. “After Stipe, he walks away into the sunset. I think he likes to toss out different scenarios like, ‘What if I fought Alex Pereira? What if I fought Aspinall? What if I fought Blaydes?’ He wants people to talk about him, which I get. The more you get talked about the better your following grows and it helps your sponsors. I get it. He’s skilled at it. He’s been on the internet for as long as I’ve had Facebook and Instagram, he’s always been a presence. He knows what he’s doing. But do I honestly believe he would risk his legacy against a guy like me? No. Cause if he beats me, what does it do for his legacy?

“Are you going to be like, ‘Oh, that was the fight that finally cemented Jon as the GOAT.’ Either you believe he’s the GOAT already, or you don’t. It’s like MJ vs. LeBron. If you already don’t believe that LeBron is the GOAT, there isn’t anything he can do to change your mind, and vice versa. If you already believe he is the GOAT. However you view Jon Jones at this moment or after he fights Stipe, that’ll be the lasting image. And I don’t think he’s going to do anything to jeopardize that.”

Blaydes, 33, said he’s not going to “hold my breath” for a clash with Jones to ever materialize, so in his mind, that raises the stakes for UFC 304. If Jones does indeed retire after Miocic, that would elevate the Aspinall vs. Blaydes winner from interim to undisputed champion. In Blaydes’ mind, though, that’s essentially what he’s already competing for.

“That’s how I’m viewing it (as an undisputed title fight),” Blaydes said. “That’s how I’m approaching it. When I told my family, my brothers, my dad, my sister, ‘I’m fighting for a belt.’ I didn’t say interim belt. I said a belt. Honestly, a majority of casual fan, they don’t know the difference. I’m sure a lot of them are probably perplexed like, ‘How does Aspinall have a belt and Jon have a belt?’ They probably don’t understand the concept of interim vs. undisputed, and they don’t care. All they see is a shiny belt and you holding it in a UFC octagon. That’s all they need. So to me, it is the real belt.”

When forecasting the future with an interim title win, Blaydes thinks it won’t be an easy process to get his undisputed status. His many years of observing Jones and his behavior leads Blaydes to think the heavyweight division is in for another messy stretch, but eventually he thinks Jones will be stripped or relinquish the strap.

“It’s not going to be a smooth transition of power,” Blaydes said. “He’s not going to just – I know I said he’s going to walk off into the sunset, but I meant he’s going to ‘retire’ unofficially, but he’s not going to officially retire for who knows. It could be a year, a year-and-a-half. However long the UFC allows him to string it along, he’ll do it.”

[lawrence-related id=2741617,2741580,2741378]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 304.

Tom Aspinall vs. Curtis Blaydes 2: Odds and what to know ahead of UFC 304 co-main event

Tom Aspinall will get a chance to avenge the lone loss of his career vs. Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304. Here’s what you need to know.

Interim heavyweight champion [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] will get a chance to avenge the lone loss of his career vs. [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] at UFC 304.

Tom Aspinall vs. Curtis Blaydes preview

After finishing his first five UFC opponents, Aspinall (14-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) drew Blaydes in the UFC Fight Night 208 main event in July 2022. However, just 15 seconds into the fight, Aspinall blew out his knee and Blaydes was awarded the TKO win.

One year later, Aspinall returned to score a first-round TKO over Marcin Tybura. With heavyweight champion Jon Jones sustaining an injury and pulling out of UFC 295, Aspinall got the call to face Sergei Pavlovich for the interim title on the same card. Aspinall won the bout by first-round knockout.

After beating Aspinall, Blaydes (18-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC) was knocked out by Pavlovich at UFC Fight Night 222. He rebounded with a Performance of the Night knockout of Jailton Almeida at UFC 299, snapping the Brazilian’s 15-fight winning streak.

Tom Aspinall vs. Curtis Blaydes odds

DraftKings released the opening odds for the co-main event, in which Aspinall is listed as a sizable -238 favorite over Blaydes, who’s a +195 underdog.

How to watch Tom Aspinall vs. Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304

  • When: July 27
  • Where: Co-op Live, Manchester, England
  • Broadcast/streaming: ESPN+ pay-per-view

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 304.

Jon Jones won’t be surprised if Curtis Blaydes beats Tom Aspinall at UFC 304: ‘Dude prematurely drinking his own Kool-Aid’

UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones continues to take shots at Tom Aspinall.

UFC heavyweight champion [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] continues to take shots at [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag].

Interim heavyweight champion Aspinall (14-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) will run things back with [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] (18-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC) in the UFC 304 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) co-main event July 27 in Manchester, England.

Blaydes won their first meeting in July 2022 by TKO after Aspinall blew out his knee just 15 seconds into the fight. Jones sees Blaydes getting his hand raised again.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if Curtis won, I’ve seen scenarios like this time and time again. Dude prematurely drinking his own Kool-Aid ends up with a huge piece of humble pie. I mean If Sergei can touch Tom that easy, I’m sure Curtis can too. When Curtis decides to go, he’s a lot faster than people realize, and he hits hard. A few well-timed shots and that strong top game, it could be a long night for old Tommy boy. Either way, I’ll be watching, excited to have some additional footage.”

When asked if he’s showing bias towards Blaydes, Jones had no issues admitting that.

“Sure, if I’m being completely honest, I always root for the Americans.. especially American wrestlers.. at the end of the day no matter who wins, Curtis is no walk in the park either. The only lane I’ve ever known, the fast one. I know no other speed. Can’t remember the last time I wasn’t at the big boy table.”

Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) revealed that his first title defense against Stipe Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) will take place Nov. 9 in New York in what is expected to be the UFC’s annual pay-per-view card in Madison Square Garden.

[lawrence-related id=2740671,2739407,2739296,2739403]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 304.

Tom Aspinall says Ciryl Gane turned down fight for UFC 304, reacts to Curtis Blaydes booking

Tom Aspinall rematches Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304, but it wasn’t the promotion’s Plan A, according to the interim heavyweight champion.

[autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] was willing to fight anyone, but when push came to shove, said [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] was the only one who reciprocated those feelings to the UFC.

Since Manchester was revealed as the UFC 304 location, fight fans have expected to see an Aspinall (14-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) fight announcement associated with the July 27 card. Thursday, UFC CEO Dana White officially announced the bout, and Aspinall’s opponent, Blaydes (18-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC).

“I’m in a bit of a strange conundrum with my division,” Aspinall said in a video posted to his YouTube channel shortly after the announcement. “Usually, when the champ is coming back, the interim would obviously usually fight the champ. Jon Jones is holding sh*t up. Let’s be honest. He’s playing games. So it’s me and Curtis Blaydes.”

While Aspinall did not indicate the UFC ever proposed the Jones bout to him, he revealed Blaydes was not the promotion’s Plan A. According to Aspinall, the UFC told him they wanted to book him against [autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag]. Aspinall said he accepted, but Gane (12-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC) did not.

“There’s only one more available guy, and that’s Ciryl Gane,” Aspinall said. “The UFC wanted me to fight Ciryl Gane. I said OK. If the UFC wanted me to do it, we can do it. I’m not bothered. I feel like I’m champion of the world. I’m ranked No. 1 in the world. I’ll fight anybody. You don’t have to talk me into anything. UFC are my bosses. They want me to fight Ciryl Gane. Count me in. That’s OK. We’ll do it. Ciryl, on the other hand, he’s out there doing a film. Ciryl is out there trying to be the French Arnold Schwarzenegger right now. And fair play to him. If he wants to do films and be an actor, go ahead and enjoy yourself, Ciryl. Go do your thing. Make some money. Do it however you do it. But he didn’t take the fight. He wanted to do his film.”

Aspinall and Blaydes have met in the cage once. In July 2022, Aspinall suffered a knee injury 15 seconds into a main event showdown with Blaydes in London. The injury knocked him out of action for a year.

“We have history,” Aspinall said. “We’ve fought before, granted it was 15 seconds and not an actual fight. I got injured. Curtis takes a win. Now, it’s time to get a bit of payback, so I’m very, very, very motivated for this one. If I’m not going to fight Jon, which obviously that’s not going to happen right now, this is the ideal situation. I’m very, very happy. I’m very, very motivated for it. I’m going to put absolutely everything into the training camp, absolutely everything into the lifestyle. Yeah, I’m looking forward to it very much.”

“… UFC 304, a rematch with Curtis Blaydes in my hometown of Manchester, it’s going to be fantastic, the 27th of July. Be there.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 304.

Interim heavyweight champ Tom Aspinall vs. Curtis Blaydes set for UFC 304 co-main event

It’s been a couple months, but Curtis Blaydes got the answer he was hoping for.

It’s been a couple months, but [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] got the answer he was hoping for.

In March, Blaydes (18-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC) took out Jailton Almeida with a second-round TKO at UFC 299 in Miami. Afterward, he said he wanted a shot at interim heavyweight champion [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag].

Thursday, UFC CEO Dana White announced Blaydes (18-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC) has what he wants: a rematch with Aspinall (14-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) at UFC 304 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+), which is set for July 27 in Manchester, England.

Blaydes and Aspinall first fought in July 2022 in London. Just 15 seconds into the fight, Aspinall blew out his knee and Blaydes had a TKO win without doing anything. After a year away, Aspinall returned and stopped Marcin Tybura in 73 seconds, then needed just 69 seconds to win the interim heavyweight title against Sergei Pavlovich this past November.

After Blaydes beat Almeida, he ruled out fighting someone like Ciryl Gane next and said he wants a path straight to Aspinall for a piece of the heavyweight title.

The Blaydes-Aspinall winner presumably will fight the winner of champion Jon Jones vs. former champ Stipe Miocic – provided that winner does not retire after the fight, which has been the speculation for each of them.

With the co-main event addition, the UFC 304 lineup now includes:

  • Champ Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad – for welterweight title
  • Interim champ Tom Aspinall vs. Curtis Blaydes – for interim heavyweight title
  • Bobby Green vs. Paddy Pimblett
  • Manel Kape vs. Muhammad Mokaev
  • Arnold Allen vs. Giga Chikadze
  • Daniel Pineda vs. Nathaniel Wood
  • Shauna Bannon vs. Ravena Oliveira
  • Bruna Brasil vs. Molly McCann

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 304.