Tom Aspinall Made A Promise To Dana White At 12 Years Old
Tom Aspinall knew he would get an opportunity in the UFC years before his career-changing main event win over Alexander Volkov at UFC London.
Aspinall earned the biggest win of his young UFC career at UFC London, submitting Volkov in the first round of their main event. He has now won eight fights in a row, including five in the UFC.
Aspinall could break into the top 5 of the UFC heavyweight rankings this week after his win over Volkov. While many MMA fighters aspire to compete in the UFC, Aspinall knew years in advance that he would eventually make it to the big stage.
During his UFC London post-fight press conference, White revealed that Aspinall predicted he would eventually fight in the UFC when the two met briefly at an event.
“Tom said when he was 12 years old, he met me at an arena, and he walked up to me and said ‘I’m gonna fight for you someday.’ I love that s**t,” White said.
Aspinall’s prior meeting with White is similar to that of UFC bantamweight champion Julianna Peña. Years before she would sign with the promotion and eventually beat Amanda Nunes, Peña predicted she would not only fight in the UFC but become a world champion.
Aspinall could be on the verge of a heavyweight title shot with his latest win over Volkov. He used his post-fight interview to call out Tai Tuivasa for a fight, weeks after Tuivasa knocked out Derrick Lewis and surged into the top-5 of the heavyweight rankings.
The heavyweight title picture is a bit uncertain at the moment with Francis Ngannou sidelined for nine months as he recovers from knee surgery. The promotion may opt to book another interim title bout in the meantime and Aspinall may receive consideration for the opportunity.
Aspinall has made his earlier promise to White come to fruition and he has become a potential star for the UFC going forward. He’ll look to retain his winning ways against another top heavyweight contender for his next fight later this year.
Who do you want to see Tom Aspinall fight next?
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