By Darryl Rigby, Journalism Graduate 2016
In the world of professional fighting, being nice can often be interpreted as weakness. Over the years, MMA fans have become so accustomed to trash talk and cocksure bravado that it can feel a tad jarring when someone as affable as Tom Aspinall comes along.
But make no mistake, Aspinall (15-3) is a fighter through and through. The hulking Wiganer is arguably the scariest individual on the UFC’s roster right now. That said, if the only videos you’d seen were his interviews—not the footage of him bouncing opponents’ heads off the canvas en route to one of his devastating knockout wins—you’d be forgiven for thinking the interim heavyweight champ hasn’t a mean-spirited bone in his body.
In every interaction with fans, media or even opposing fighters, the down-to-earth Aspinall comes across as nothing but friendly and polite. But as the Jon Jones (28-1) saga rumbles on, it’s hard not to feel like his nicest-guy-in-the-room persona is starting to hold him back.
Since winning the belt with a walk-in-the-park finish of Sergei Pavlovich (19-3) in November 2023, Aspinall has defended it once, beating Curtis Blaydes (15-3) in Manchester last July and avenging the loss he suffered in London a few years earlier, when a knee injury ended the fight in the first few seconds.
Since then, he’s sat on the sidelines waiting for his chance to unify the division, with Jon Jones refusing to commit to a bout as UFC President Dana White continues to insist the fight will happen.
In typical Aspinall fashion, the Team Kaobon representative has continued to behave like the consummate professional he is. He’s stayed patient, stayed respectful. But it’s becoming clear this approach is getting him nowhere.
Meanwhile, Jon Jones has been swanning about in Thailand living his best life while filming the Russian version of The Ultimate Fighter, dropping cryptic Instagram posts about his future. One week the American is teasing a return, the next he’s sounding half-retired.
At this point, it’s anyone’s guess what he actually wants. But one thing’s clea: it doesn’t involve fighting Aspinall any time soon!
Then again, who can blame him? Aspinall is all risk and little reward. He’s younger, faster, more explosive and carries one-punch knockout power that no one in the UFC has managed to handle.
In the cage, Aspinall is a nightmare. But if he wants the Jones fight—or to force the UFC’s hand and move on to a Ciryl Gane (13-2) bout—he needs to start being a nightmare at the negotiating table too.
This isn’t just about Jones, it’s about how the UFC works. Let’s face it, the promotion is now an entertainment business masquerading as a meritocracy. Fighters don’t just get what they’ve earned, they get what they can make impossible to ignore.
The ones who shout loudest, sell the most, stir up the biggest headlines—these are the ones who are rewarded with the fights they want. This is one of the reasons fighters like Colby Covington are rewarded with multiple title shots.
It’s precisely why Conor McGregor received the golden treatment during his UFC days. The promotion didn’t carve the Irishman a golden pathway to the title and allow him to become a double champion—despite not defending his featherweight title for almost a year—simply because he was a good fighter.
McGregor was a braggadocious superstar who used his quick wit and sharp tongue to become the sport’s biggest commodity, selling out arenas and racking up record PPV numbers every time he stepped in the cage. He also knew how to bargain, threatening to retire multiple times when he felt his demands weren’t being met by the UFC.
Aspinall, by contrast, has spent the last nine months asking nicely. He’s said all the right things in interviews, talked about respecting the process, understanding Jones’ injury, not wanting to rock the boat. And to his credit, he’s done it all with the class we’ve come to expect. But class doesn’t move the needle in this sport. Pressure does. Publicity does.
Now, it’s starting to cost him. As Dana White reminds us every time a journalist asks a question about some fighter being sidelined, the UFC is contractually obliged to offer each fighter three bouts a year. Aspinall’s had one since last summer, so something isn’t quite adding up.
To his credit, Aspinall has become slightly more vocal in recent weeks. He’s hinted at feeling frustrated and teased some upcoming news, while his dad went one step further and branded the situation ‘stupid’. The way Aspinall Snr. sees it, his son’s progress is being halted and the UFC should either make the fight or move on.
So it’s clear the Aspinall camp are becoming increasingly annoyed, but perhaps it’s time to make his feelings truly known. Unless he starts to make some more noise and tells the UFC he’s had enough, things aren’t likely to move quickly.
Ironically, it’s his very likeability that’s made this whole thing so frustrating. A quick look at the comments section on any social media post will show you who the fans’ favourite would be if Aspinall and Jones were to lock horns. Sorry Jon, but it ain’t you.
But unless Aspinall becomes more vocal and shows some of the nastiness he displays in the cage outside of it, he may well see more of his prime slip away.
If Tom Aspinall wants to go down as a UFC legend—not just a guy who could have been—then it’s time he stops being so understanding and starts being unavoidable.
This post was written by Darryl Rigby, Content Writer at TradeSparky, a Manchester-based supplier of solar power panels and batteries.
Featured image: Richard Sellers/PA Images via Getty Images
