Tom Aspinall loves cracking open an ice cold beer with Michael Bisping, but before he can even think about a victory pint, he’ll have to get past Marcin Tybura at UFC London.
On June 17, the British heavyweight returns to action in a fight, which he intends to win in style, before heading out for a night on the town with the former middleweight champion.
As part of their blossoming friendship, the pair of English heroes have gone wild on more than one occasion. Alas, Aspinall wasn’t willing to reveal the specifics of their antics. However, he did confess that ‘The Count’ can drink just as well as he can fight.
The 30-year-old laughed: “Bisping’s my good mate, so I’ve been around him a lot. There are not many stories that I’m willing to tell on camera, but Bisping loves a night out. That’s all I’m gonna say. Even at his tender age of 42 or whatever he is, the guy keeps up, that’s for sure. I need to go to the next level if I’m trying to go on a night out with him. The guy loves a beer.”
However, while the party animal is looking forward to celebrating, he certainly isn’t overlooking Tybura.
Having beaten the likes of Greg Hardy and Walt Harris, the powerhouse poses a real danger, and Aspinall has trained accordingly.
He said: “He is probably the guy I’ve had the most personal relationship with. I like him a lot as a person. We’re actually pretty friendly, but that’s irrelevant next week because he is in my way. And if it’s going to be me or him, unfortunately, it’s gonna have to be him. So my prediction is, I’m going to knock him out. I don’t know what round it’s going to be in. I have 25 minutes to do it. To avoid my power and timing for 25 minutes is going to be difficult for anybody, especially for him. It’s going to be a KO win.”
And with a #5 ranking in the division, Aspinall knows he’s closing in on the biggest night of his life.
READ MORE: FROM DOWNING BEERS TO LANDING BRUTAL KNOCKOUTS: MEET PHIL DE FRIES — THE KSW HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION
Tom Aspinall calls out Jon Jones
In times gone by, heavyweights have been renowned for their lack of conditioning and ponderous footwork, but in a testament to his supreme athleticism, Aspinall has torn up the script.
Possessing lightning-quick hands and terrifying BJJ, the Atherton MMA star is the first of a new wave of fighters, capable of blending all the disciplines, making him an almost unbeatable machine. Thus, with the full scale of his potential still to be revealed, he has every right to set his sights high.
On November 11, Jones will defend his world title against Stipe Miocic, and Aspinall is desperate to test his skills against the winner.
He asserted: “If you’re not shooting for the heavyweight title, and thinking ‘That’s what I wanna go for, then what are you doing it for’? I’m always looking at the champion, trying to pick holes in what they’re doing, and thinking about how I could navigate my way around their style and vice versa. I’m desperate to fight one of them.”
Capable of out-grappling Olympians and dismantling kickboxers on the feet, with his sublime use of creativity, Jones has undeniably proved himself as one of the greatest fighters to ever set foot on planet Earth. And that’s why Aspinall has no choice but to give the controversial character the advantage.
He predicted: “It’s a tough one. It’s really difficult because we’ve not seen much of Jones at heavyweight. We’ve seen him for two minutes. And then we’ve not seen Miocic for like two years. So it’s an odd fight, but if I had to bet on it, I would say Jones just edges it. But I don’t know. You never know.”
Tom Aspinall talks Tyson Fury vs Francis Ngannou
With such nimble footwork, it’s clear that Aspinall has spent time at The Fury gym in Bolton under the tutelage of Peter Fury. Therefore, he knows better than anyone what ‘The Gypsy King’ is capable of.
Discussing the WBC King’s bout against Francis Ngannou, he explained: “It’s definitely interesting. As far as I’m aware. Ngannou has the highest punch power ever. It’s on record at the UFC Performance Institute.”
Aspinall continued: “I know that’s just a machine, but if you look at his fights, he does knock everybody out that he hits. So he’s definitely got a puncher’s chance. But Tyson Fury is worlds apart from him when it comes to actual skill. So would I be surprised if Ngannou knocked him down? I wouldn’t be that surprised because of the power that he’s got. But Fury is going to absolutely school him most of the time.”
Fans can watch Aspinall’s fight against Tybura live and exclusively on BT Sport next Saturday evening.
Featured Image Credit: UFC / Tom Aspinall
