Tom Aspinall
Division: Heavyweight
Result: Tom Aspinall def. Jake Collier via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 0:45
Record: (8-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC)
Grade: A
Heavyweight debuts don’t really get much quicker, slicker, and more impressive than the performance served up by [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag], whose first win in the UFC was just about as clean as you could wish for.
Lined up against Jake Collier, Aspinall took a few seconds to assess his opponent, then landed a big knee to the body before unleashing a beautiful rapid-fire two-punch combination.
Both shots landed cleanly, with the second – a thumping straight right – sending Collier to the deck. One more strike on the ground was all it took to put the seal on an outstanding debut from the Team Kaobon heavyweight, who has bags of potential after just 10 professional fights.
After his win, Aspinall said he had no intention to rush his career, but if he follows up on his debut win with a similarly-impressive display next time around, it might not be long before the UFC’s matchmakers are tempted to throw him in with some of the division’s more well-known names.
Next up: Comeback KO halts encouraging debut.