Tom Aspinall

Thomas Paul Aspinall (born 11 April 1993) is an English professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of 25 July 2023, he is #4 in the UFC heavyweight rankings.

Aspinall followed his father's footsteps by beginning to train martial arts at the age of seven at the Leigh Self Defence Studio, Leigh, Greater Manchester, where he trained in Ju Jitsu. After also training wrestling and boxing, Aspinall transitioned to Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He has won the British Open in Brazilian jiu-jitsu in all belt classes except black belt. After his father became the jiu-jitsu instructor of Team Kaobon, Aspinall grew interested in mixed martial arts and eventually transitioned into the sport. In the year after completing school at age 16, Aspinall grew from 5 feet 8 inches (1.73 m) to 6 feet 5 inches (1.96 m), causing intense growing pains.

Early career

Aspinall signed a five-fight contract with Cage Warriors after 2.5-year hiatus from professional mixed martial arts. Aspinall was offered a contract by the Ultimate Fighting Championship also, but did not feel ready for the organization and subsequently turned it down. After two fast finishes in Cage Warriors he eventually signed to the UFC.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Aspinall was originally scheduled to make his promotional debut against Raphael Pessoa at UFC Fight Night: Woodley vs. Edwards on March 21, 2020. However, Pessoa withdrew from the bout citing an injury and was replaced by Jake Collier, but this event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Subsequently, the pairing was left intact and took place on July 25, 2020, at UFC on ESPN 14. He won the fight via technical knockout in round one. This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.

Aspinall's second UFC appearance was expected to be against Sergey Spivak at UFC Fight Night: Moraes vs. Sandhagen on October 11, 2020. However, Spivak withdrew from the bout for undisclosed reasons and he was replaced by promotional newcomer Alan Baudot. Aspinall won the fight via first-round technical knockout.

Aspinall next faced Andrei Arlovski at UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Lewis on February 20, 2021. He won the fight via a submission in round two. This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.

Aspinall was expected to face Sergei Pavlovich on September 4, 2021, at UFC Fight Night 191. However, Pavlovich was removed from the card in late-August due to alleged visa issues which restricted his ability to travel and was replaced by Sergey Spivak. Aspinall won the fight via technical knockout in round one. The win earned Aspinall his third Performance of the Night bonus award.

Aspinall was scheduled to face Shamil Abdurakhimov on March 19, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 204. However, on January 21, 2022, it was announced that Aspinall would instead face Alexander Volkov. Aspinall won the fight via straight armbar submission in round one. With this win, he received the Performance of the Night award.

Aspinall faced Curtis Blaydes on July 23, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 208. He lost the fight by technical knockout 15 seconds into the first round after being rendered unable to continue due to a knee injury.

After a year off due to his injury, Aspinall returned to face Marcin Tybura on July 22, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 224. He won the fight via TKO just over a minute into the first round. With this win, he received his fifth Performance of the Night bonus award.

Mixed martial arts

• Ultimate Fighting Championship
  • Performance of the Night (Five times) vs. Jake Collier, Andrei Arlovski, Sergey Spivak, Alexander Volkov, and Marcin Tybura