LONDON – Tom Aspinall has a lot of tricks up his sleeve that he’s prepared to roll out at UFC Fight Night 208, but that’s only if Curtis Blaydes can force them out of him, which other opponents have failed to do.
Going into his sixth octagon appearance in Saturday’s headliner against Blaydes (16-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC) at The O2, Aspinall (12-2 MMA, 5-0 UFC) has just 14 minutes and 24 seconds of cage time, which marks the least of anyone to reach five wins with the organization .
Aspinall looks at that as a massive advantage as no one has seen the true depth of his talent.
“I just have so much that I’ve not shown, and people don’t know what to expect,” Aspinall told reporters at UFC Fight Night 208 media day on Wednesday. “No one’s got any idea. Curtis, or anyone else in the heavyweight division, doesn’t know what I bring to the table, because I’ve not shown it yet. I’ve shown 10 percent of my game, because my octagon time is so short. No one has really seen what I can really do. So I have so much that nobody knows about, which is a massive advantage to me.”
In stopping all five of his UFC opponents by knockout or submission, Aspinall certainly has made everyone realize that he’s dangerous.
Despite having notable wins over Alexander Volkov and former UFC champ Andrei Arlovski, the Brit has yet to encounter an opponent with the wrestling prowess of Blaydes, who is capable of taking anyone down and making life miserable on the mat.
Aspinall knows the challenges ahead of him but said he knows there are more layers to Blaydes than just grappling.
“This is MMA,” Aspinall said. “He’s a great wrestler. He’s great at other stuff, as well. So, I have to be expecting everything. Obviously he brings a massive threat in the wrestling department. I’ve prepared for that. I’ve prepared for everything. This is MMA. You can’t just be like, ‘He’s going to come out and just take me down.’ He’s got great takedowns, but I’m ready for his striking, as well. And his submission game. I’m ready for everything.”
Given the lack of sample size, Aspinall admits he’s “surprised” he was the betting favorite going into UFC Fight Night 208. He said it “doesn’t mean anything” to him to be in that position, because he’s taking Blaydes just as serious as if he was the underdog.
Ultimately it’ll come down to who executes better inside the cage, and Aspinall intends for that to be him.
“I’m a winner,” Aspinall said. “That’s what I care about. I want to win. Don’t care how I win, but I’m a fierce, fierce competitor. I’m fiercely competitive, and I’m trying to win. That’s it.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 208.