"Not a d*ck measuring competition" - Tom Aspinall wins over UFC 295 presser but slams reporter for putting words in his mouth
Tom Aspinall recently won fans over with his exceptional press conference appearance. The 30-year-old Englishman is set to go up against Sergei Pavlovich in an interim heavyweight title fight at UFC 295 this weekend at the Madison Square Garden in New York City.
While heavyweight champion Jon Jones was initially booked to face Stipe Miocic in UFC 295's main event for his first title defense, 'Bones' was forced to pull out due to an injury to his pectoral tendon, and he underwent surgery for the same. Since Jones is expected to be sidelined for an extended period, the promotion decided to book an interim heavyweight fight between Aspinall and Pavlovich.
Considering that both heavyweight contenders boast impressive resumes and are coming off knockout victories, fans are undeniably excited for this showdown. Tom Aspinall added to the hype with his quick wit and clever lines at the recent UFC 295 pre-fight presser.
When asked about his strategy going into the fight, Aspinall hilariously made it clear that he wasn't planning on trading shots with Sergei Pavlovich and said:
"I’m not going to stand in the middle of the cage and have a shoot out with him... I’m not going to have a d**k measuring competition, literally or figuratively, because he would probably win both. So we’ll see what happens."
Later on during the presser, one journalist tried asking Pavlovich a question while referring to Aspinall's past comments about the Russian ducking a fight against him twice before. The Englishman quickly checked the reporter and said:
"That’s untrue. I never said that... It’s bulls**t... One time, he pulled out because of visa issues. But I didn't say that he was scared. Because, obviously not."
Watch the full presser below:
Michael Bisping on Tom Aspinall vs. Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295
Michael Bisping has some lofty hopes for Tom Aspinall and recently stated that he sees the No.4-ranked heavyweight contender defeating Sergei Pavlovich and becoming the greatest heavyweight in the UFC.
As mentioned, Tom Aspinall is coming off an impressive knockout victory. The Englishman dispatched Marcin Tybura via a statement first-round TKO marked the 12th first-round stoppage of his career. Meanwhile, his Russian opponent is coming off six consecutive first-round knockouts.
However, Michael Bisping isn't worried. At the TNT Sports UFC 295 pre-fight show, he said:
"I do believe [Aspinall] beats [Pavlovich]. I believe he makes it look relatively easy, and that’s not disrespect to Sergei. It’s because of how capable Tom is... I think he beats Jon Jones if that comes up... He will retire as the greatest heavyweight champion that the UFC has ever seen. I’m serious."