Tom Aspinall had complete confidence in himself entering UFC 295 Saturday night. And in the end, it resulted in the English fighter leaving with an interim heavyweight title. Aspinall knocked out Sergei Pavlovich to secure his first championship with the UFC.
Tom Aspinall stepped in on short notice to take on Sergei Pavlovich for the interim heavyweight championship at UFC 295 Saturday night.
And he walked out of the Octagon and Madison Square Garden in New York City a champion.
Aspinall finished Pavlovich with a thunderous shot, putting a stamp on a whirl-wind two-plus week period.
The card was scheduled to feature Jon Jones defending his heavyweight crown against former champion Stipe Miocic. While Miocic was there to watch, Jones continues to recover from surgery for a torn pec muscle.
Tom Aspinall Overcame Fear Of Opponent To Win
Aspinall admitted in the post-fight interview that he was “scared” of Pavlovich.
“He’s a big, scary guy,” Aspinall said (thanks to MMA Fighting for the quotes). “I’ve never been as scared in my life as fighting this guy but you know what? I’ve got a lot of power too and I believe in myself.
I really believe in myself.”
Aspinall also admitted that it has “been a crazy two-and-a-half weeks” since getting the call that he was competing in his biggest bout to date.
Now, Aspinall will likely sit and wait to return to action. Jones and Miocic are still expected to meet in 2024 once “Bones” recovers and is cleared.
The 30-year-old Aspinall fought twice this year after returning from his own injury suffered in a 2022 loss to Curtis Blaydes. He is 14-3 overall and 7-1 with the UFC, with all seven wins coming by knockout or submission.
