Tom Aspinall’s Incredible Rise

UFC Heavyweight Champion Tom Aspinall says he was in a “really dark” period before his leg injury against Curtis Blaydes in 2022, as we look at his rise.

Aspinall’s career came to a halt in July 2022 when 15 seconds into the Blaydes fight he snapped his leg while throwing a kick, forcing him to be sidelined for a full year. However, Aspinall revealed that he was already in a bad mental space, contemplating retirement leading up to the incident. He admitted that before the injury, he was “half in the sport and half out,” doing things outside the gym he shouldn’t have and neglecting his recovery.

The year-long layoff served as an unintended reset. He quickly resumed his career, leading to him becoming the UFC Heavyweight Champion. Aspinall will now make his first title defense against former interim titleholder Ciryl Gane in the main event of UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi this month, but things could have been different. 

“There were long, drawn-out bouts of feeling in a really dark place. To be honest, before the injury, I was half in the sport and half out. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to carry on. I was doing things I shouldn’t have been doing outside the gym, my recovery was non-existent, the training was in a bad situation,” Aspinall explained. “There were a lot of things that should’ve been changed,” Aspinall said 

Career

Aspinall’s most astonishing legacy marker is his finishing rate. He holds the UFC record for the shortest average fight time in the organization’s history, clocking in at an average of just 2 minutes and 2 seconds per fight. Eight of UFC victories have ended in the first round. His key wins against Sergei Pavlovich for the interim title (1:09 in Round 1) and Marcin Tybura in his comeback fight (1:13 in Round 1) showcased that. His debut win against Jake Collier took just 45 seconds.

Pavlovich was considered by many to be the most terrifying striker in the division. Aspinall stepped in on short notice and defeated him via stunning knockout in 69 seconds. Before his injury, Aspinall secured a masterful first-round submission (straight armbar) against the top-ranked Volkov, demonstrating his unexpected and high-level grappling ability. If Aspinall continues his rise, he could become a dominant champion.