Tom Aspinall is in camp as a backup fighter for the UFC 309 headliner, but he’s not as focused as usual.
That’s mainly because he would only step in if something happened to either Jon Jones or Stipe Miocic ahead of their heavyweight title fight on Nov. 16 at Madison Square Garden. It was.
“Normally I work on a game plan in training because I obviously have in mind who I’m going to fight and what their style will bring to the table,” Aspinall recently told Safe Casino told the site. “On the other hand, I can’t train for anyone right now because I don’t know who I’m fighting or if I’m fighting.
“All I’m focused on is preparing myself as physically as possible, getting in shape and basically being ready for battle. When it comes to tactics and things like that, I’m a big I’m a tactician, but to be honest, I’m nothing. I’m just focused on myself and my game as opposed to other players I might be playing against.”
Aspinall defeated Sergei Pavlovic by first-round knockout at UFC 295 a year ago to win the interim heavyweight title. He most recently defended his belt at UFC 304 in July of this year by stopping Curtis Blaydes in the opening round.
The British fighter has been pushing hard for a title unification bout with Jones, but ‘Bones’ and the UFC remain adamant about what is considered a legacy match with Miocic, who holds the record for most heavyweight title defenses in the promotion. . history. Although Miocic hasn’t fought in more than three years, Aspinall believes the Ohio-based firefighter has a big advantage over Jones.
UFC 309: Jones vs. Miocic. Saturday at 10 a.m. ET on ESPN+. Order now!
“I want a knockout with Jon Jones, that’s the matchup against him. I’m going to try to push him back and use his size,” Aspinall said. “I don’t think he can use that experience. They’re both just as experienced, but I’m just trying to use my size on him and push him back and knock him out. Stipe Miocic I think he has great knockout power compared to Jon Jones. So I think he can knock him out.”
While Aspinall is critical of the bookings of Jones and Miocic, he also acknowledges the ability of both players. As a result, he has found it difficult to pinpoint specific weaknesses in either heavyweight.
“Honestly, it’s very difficult to look at guys like Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic and see what they’re doing wrong technically. It’s very difficult,” Aspinall said. Ta. “Jon Jones is one of the best players to do this, and Stipe is as well. Even for someone like me, who is currently working as an analyst and doing this as a kind of second career. It’s hard to look at them and think, “Oh, this is what they’re technically doing wrong.” After all, they didn’t do all that bad. ”
With UFC 309 just around the corner, Aspinall is preparing himself in case anything goes wrong. It’s a familiar mission, even when there is no clear opponent.
“I’m just doing my job, doing my routine, sticking to my routine and doing what I have to do,” he said. “I know what I’m doing at this point because I’ve fought a million times. I know how to prepare for a fight. I don’t have any fights confirmed at the moment, but I’m in good shape. We are preparing for any eventuality.”
