Tom Aspinall ranks UFC London opponent Curtis Blaydes ahead of Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou as ‘Two Beers’ says he could beat ‘Bones’ in fight
British MMA star Tom Aspinall holds his next opponent in very high regard and has called him “the toughest challenge” in the heavyweight division.
The Mancunian believes Curtis Blaydes presents a tougher match than heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou and MMA great Jon Jones ahead of their fight at UFC London on July 23.
“In my opinion, Curtis Blaydes is the toughest challenge in the division. So for me to look past that is basically suicide,” Aspinall told talkSPORT ahead of his second consecutive main event at the ‘O2 Arena in London.
“I definitely don’t do that. Without sounding arrogant or anything, I don’t care what other people do.
“When I have a fight, I only think about my opponent. I don’t care what other people are doing. For me, I think if I start thinking about other opponents. I’m just distracting eyes of the challenge that awaits me.
A win over Blaydes would put Aspinall in line for a shot at the heavyweight title currently held by Ngannou, which could put him on the line against Jones later in 2022.
The 29-year-old thinks anything can happen in this fight and despite his recent dominance, Aspinall thinks Ngannou’s reign could end with just one shot from him, Jones or any other UFC heavyweight.
“It’s heavyweight MMA, you can’t be surprised by anything. Not even in this division, but in this sport you can never be surprised. Heavyweights are so big we can all fight,” said explained Aspinall.
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“Ngannou is the champion right now. I know Ngannou is a devastating puncher but if someone lands cleanly on his chin he passes like anyone else. It’s just the nature of our division. We can all fight.
Aspinall is a central part of what UFC boss Dana White calls the golden age of British MMA.
The fighter who trains at Kaobon in Liverpool is currently ranked sixth overall after beating Alexander Volkov last time out to improve his perfect UFC record to 5-0, with five finishes.
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