UFC Heavyweight Champion Tom Aspinall's Father Would 'Love' To See Him Box

While yet to defend the undisputed UFC heavyweight title, most fans have viewed Aspinall as the best heavyweight in the world for well over a year.

The Englishman is 8-1 in the Octagon, with his only loss coming when he tore his MCL 15 seconds into a July 2022 bout against Curtis Blaydes. Aspinall avenged the loss with a one-minute knockout victory over Blaydes at UFC 304.

Tom Aspinall's boxing outlook

Aspinall is undeniably the Baddest Man on the Planet — a title unofficially given to the UFC heavyweight champion — but his boxing skills are fairly untested. Although his highlight reel is full of impressive knockouts, his longest UFC fight lasted just six minutes.

Since becoming the champion, Aspinall has made his money with his hands, picking up his two championship victories with consecutive one-minute knockouts. All of his wins have been by stoppage, with 12 of his 15 by knockout.

However, Aspinall is also a skilled grappler, which he often utilizes in his fights. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt averages 3.27 takedowns per 15 minutes and has won four of his nine UFC fights on the ground, either by submission or ground-and-pound TKO.

Aspinall's boxing skills might not be his best attribute, but he possesses undeniable power. Aspinall has knocked down five of his nine opponents, including each of his last three. He has never needed to land more than 16 punches in any of his six knockout victories in the Octagon.

If Aspinall ever steps into the boxing ring, he would become the second UFC heavyweight champion to do so in the modern era. After bitterly parting with the UFC following a drawn-out contract dispute, Francis Ngannou made his debut in October 2023 and nearly shocked the world in a split decision loss to then-champion Tyson Fury.