Tom Aspinall discloses shocking injury details that almost forced him out of short-notice Sergei Pavlovich fight
Tom Aspinall secured the biggest victory of his professional MMA career over Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295. With this victory, the UK MMA star was crowned the interim heavyweight champion of the UFC.
The 30-year-old agreed to take on Sergei Pavlovich in an interim heavyweight title fight with a little over two weeks' notice. Aspinall's gamble proved successful as he secured a knockout victory within 69 seconds.
It's also worth noting that Pavlovich had an extended preparation period for the fight, having been on standby for the initially scheduled fight between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic. However, that bout was canceled when Jones suffered a torn pectoral muscle.
Tom Aspinall displayed his knockout power and resilience at UFC 295 after being briefly hurt by Pavlovich, only to return fire with a devastating one-two combination that sent Pavlovich crashing to the canvas.
Reflecting on his whirlwind experience, Aspinall described that he received the fight offer after severely injuring his back. Despite not being in peak physical condition and facing additional challenges such as lacking a Visa, Aspinall emerged as the winner. Speaking about the injury in a post-fight interview with UFC analyst Laura Sanko, Tom Aspinall said:
"I pulled my back and didn't really train at all. I injured it on the first week after I found out about the fight [with Pavlovich]. I haven't been able to train for the last week and a half."
Aspinall also said:
"I pulled my back and I didn't have any training camp... I didn't have a VISA. It has been the wildest two weeks ever. I always bet on myself. If I'm in there, even in the worst circumstances, I know I've got the power to knock anybody out."
Catch Tom Aspinall's comments below:
After securing the victory at UFC 295, Aspinall delivered a compelling message, encouraging people to get inspired by his performance. He highlighted the significant challenge presented by Sergei Pavlovich, recognizing his opponent's knockout strength.