Tom Aspinall made former 'World's Strongest Man' Eddie Hall "feel like a little girl" in sparring, backed to beat Jon Jones in potential clash
Eddie Hall had a humbling experience when he joined interim UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall for a sparring session. Hall, the 2017 World's Strongest Man, transitioned to combat sports after retiring from strongman sports. He is set to make his professional MMA debut against Mariusz Pudzianowski at KSW 105 on April 26 in Gliwice.
To improve his fighting skills, Hall recently partnered with Aspinall, who is widely regarded as one of the most skilled MMA fighters, especially in the upper weight classes. Despite Hall's greater physical strength, he found that Aspinall's technique and skill were superior.
In an exclusive interview with Bloody Elbow, Hall reflected on his experience of training with Aspinall, stating:
“Doing the grappling, because you just feel like a little girl. Even a man my size, he just uses your strengths against you and his hands are so fast. His footwork is just incredible. You just feel like a f*ing f*y to go in the ring and doing business with Tom Aspinall. And that’s me, that’s like a ‘World’s Strongest Man’ saying that. It’s a very humbling experience going in the ring with Tom.” [H/T Bloody Elbow]
Since capturing the interim title in November 2023, Aspinall has been advocating for a title unification bout against heavyweight champion Jon Jones. However, Jones has frequently changed his position on the potential showdown, and the fight has yet to materialize. Jones' approach has led many to speculate that the MMA legend could be "ducking" the fight to avoid a potential loss against a younger and formidable opponent in Aspinall.
In the aforementioned interview with Bloody Elbow, Hall was asked if he thinks Aspinall can beat Jon Jones. 'The Beast' replied:
“I believe so. Jon Jones is obviously the champ and he’s formidable. But there’s a reason this fight has been ducked, in my opinion. If Jon Jones thought he could beat him, he’d f*ing fight him right now, wouldn’t he?" [H/T Bloody Elbow]
Tom Aspinall's training philosophy highlighted while advising Eddie Hall on methods to get better at MMA
While power and size are typically the defining factors in heavyweight MMA fights, Tom Aspinall stands out as one of the few athletes who possess elite combat skills, not solely relying on strength and size. After their sparring session, Eddie Hall sought Aspinall's advice on enhancing his fighting skills, especially when facing bigger opponents.
Aspinall responded by emphasizing a crucial training philosophy that could have enabled him to become a world-class athlete:
"It all depends on what your mentality is in the gym, I think. If you're willing to learn and put yourself in bad situations, and lose rounds to learn, then your improvement will be massive. But a lot of guys, especially the big guys, because now they're training with the heavyweights, they want to win all the time. They're great being the hammer, but not being the nail. You have to be willing to be the nail to improve."
Check out Tom Aspinall's comments below (18:28):