Tom Aspinall dissects Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway's UFC 308 clash: "The guy's got ridiculous conditioning"
Tom Aspinall last competed at UFC 304 in July as he defeated Curtis Blaydes via first-round knockout to defend his interim heavyweight title for the first time. As Aspinall awaits the first undisputed title opportunity, he recently weighed in on this weekend's upcoming UFC 308 featherweight title bout between Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway.
Speaking to Adam Catterall of UFC on TNT Sports, the No.1-ranked heavyweight stated:
"Being a bit of a shorter guy, what he does really well, Ilia Topuria, is shorter arms so with this fight, he's going to be looking to get inside and the body hooks, the low kicks and the shot in is what he's looking for... Max Holloway, complete contrasting style.
"The only similar thing is they both like to box, quite a lot. Max Holloway's style, he'll have his hands quite low and his chin quite high... The volume of punches that he throws in a fight is unbelievable. The guy has got ridiculous conditioning."
Aspinall was asked if he believes Topuria will utilize his grappling, responding:
"I think he's going to keep him guessing with the takedowns, yeah. It is [hard to take Holloway down], but the threat is there and sometimes that can affect your defensive boxing a little bit because you're thinking about the takedowns. The hands are low, you're getting ready for a shot all the time and punches are coming over the top.
"I think and I'm going to go out there and say, Ilia Topuria can put him down. He's got the power to and he mixes it up so well between the disciplines."
Check out Tom Aspinall's comments below (6:00):
Aspinall added that he wouldn't be surprised if Holloway was dropped in the bout. 'Blessed' has never been officially knocked down in his UFC career, which spans 29 fights and dates back to 2012.
Tom Aspinall reveals discussions with UFC regarding heavyweight title plans
Jon Jones is set to defend his heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 next month, however, both fighters are expected to retire after the bout. Tom Aspinall recently revealed that he has had discussions with the UFC about their plans after the bout.
Speaking to Adam Catterall of UFC on TNT Sports, the interim heavyweight champion was asked if his undisputed title pursuits are looking promising, responding:
"It's looking great. We got a plan now. Before, we were just kind of guessing and feeling out what's going to happen next, but now, me and the UFC have spoken at length and we've come to a 2025 road map of what is going to happen with the heavyweight title and it's going to be exciting."
Check out Tom Aspinall's comments below (2:04):
Aspinall previously expressed that his next opponent could be the winner of the scheduled UFC 310 clash featuring Ciryl Gane and Alexander Volkov, assuming both Jones and Miocic retire. It is unclear if he would be promoted to undisputed champion before the bout or if he will fight for a vacant title.