Tom Aspinall addresses UFC’s heavyweight division: ‘They don’t know s—t about me’

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is back in London, England, this weekend (Sat., March 19, 2022) for what should be a raucous evening of action topped off with the Heavyweights.

No stranger to the headliner spot, former Bellator champion Alexander Volkov (34-9) will occupy one-half of the night’s main event. On the other side will be first-time main eventer out of Liverpool, Tom Aspinall.

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TOP 15 BANTAMWEIGHT BATTLE! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to “The Lone Star State” on Sat., Dec. 2, 2023, with a 155-pound main event showdown between top-ranked division contenders, Beneil Dariush (No. 4) vs. Arman Tsarukyan (No. 8), both of whom are looking to inch closer to a division title shot in 2024. In UFC Austin’s co-main event, Bobby Green will looks to continue his resurgence against short-notice “Tarantula,” Jalin Turner.

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Aspinall, 28, has accrued an 11-2 record up to this point with his last four coming in the Octagon all by finish. In total, he’s won nine times via knockout with two submissions, never going past the second round.

“Biggest test of my career by far, I’m completely aware of that,” Aspinall said at UFC London media day. “I would like to keep myself a secret for as long as possible. These Heavyweights think they know stuff about me, they don’t know s—t about me. They don’t know nothing about me. They’ve seen this much of my game. So anybody out there who thinks they know what my game is, they don’t know nothing.

“If I can finish him in 30 seconds, I will,” he continued. “But, I would also like to do five. I’m not really bothered either way.”

Aspinall’s 2021 was the most impressive year of his still-young career, earning performance bonuses in each of his two times out. First, he became only the second man to defeat Andrei Arlovski by submission (watch highlights) before putting Sergey Spivak away with strikes in September (watch highlights).

Currently ranked at No. 11 in the division, a Volkov (No. 6) win could catapult Aspinall right into the thick of things in the land of giants.

“I mean, I’ve trained for five rounds,” he said. “Like you said, I’ve never gone past the second so new territory for me. I’m completely aware that if you look at the stats on paper, this is a complete mismatch in his favor. I’m aware of that. He has got so much more experience than me, he’s fought far more high-level guys than me, he’s been in the top 10 for I don’t know how many years at this point. I’m just an up-and-coming guy breaking in the top 10 — on paper. But, on paper, doesn’t really mean nothing when it comes to actual fighting.”

Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC London fight card right here, starting with the ESPN+ “Prelims” matches, which are scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. ET, then the remaining main card balance (also on ESPN+) at 4 p.m. ET.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC London: “Volkov vs. Aspinall” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.