Tom Aspinall Reveals ‘Nightmare’ Match-up For Him in UFC — Not Jon Jones

Tom Aspinall has said there’s a fighter who would make for an “absolute nightmare’ match-up for him in the UFC, and it’s not Jon Jones.

The 32-year-old slugger, who is also a black belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu, has beaten everybody he’s ever faced in the UFC, since joining the big league from Cage Warriors in 2020. In his run since then, he’s finished Andrei Arlovski, Alexander Volkov, and Curtis Blaydes, among others.

Aspinall returns to the Octagon on the 25th of October in the main event of UFC 321 for a heavyweight title defense against the former challenger Ciryl Gane. Should he win, as he’s expected to do, then he’ll have beaten four of the athletes ranked in the current top five. Many believe Jones would give Aspinall the defining fight of his career. However, the fighter himself suggested you’d have to look in the annals of MMA history to find the guy who’d put him to the test more than any other.

‘Absolute Nightmare’ Match-up For Tom Aspinall

For Aspinall, his toughest test would be against an arch rival of Jones — that is, the former two-weight UFC champion and ex-Olympic wrestler, Daniel Cormier. “I say it every time when I see DC,” Aspinall said on his official YouTube channel.

Aspinall then offered his analysis on how tough Cormier would be for him, specifically.

“He is short. He is fit. He keeps coming at ya,” said Aspinall. “He would have been very, very hard work for me.”

Regardless, that does not mean Aspinall would count himself out. “But I believe I have the power to knock anybody out.”

After UFC 321, it is unclear who Aspinall will fight next, as Alex Pereira recently intimated that, because of injury, he’d only be able to return to the Octagon for the UFC’s prospective event at The White House, and he’s targeting Jones. That perhaps removes Jones from title consideration, and the American previously favored relinquishing the championship anyway rather than be forced to fight Aspinall.

In the current rankings, there is only really Jailton Almeida, who is the No.5-ranked heavyweight, left for Aspinall, though fun match-ups against Tai Tuivasa (No.11) and Mick Parvin (No.13) could also work, unless boss Dana White was able to lure Francis Ngannou back to the promotion.

All things considered, considering how bereft of options there are for Aspinall, it is no surprise to see him raid the sport’s history to find suitable challengers.