Tom Aspinall reveals the date UFC has asked him to be ready for, contract yet to be signed
Tom Aspinall is set to make his return to the UFC exactly a year after he suffered a devastating knee injury against Curtis Blaydes.
The surging heavyweight contender took on 'Razor' in the main event of UFC Fight Night 208 in London last year, where he suffered a torn MCL, partially torn ACL and a torn meniscus in the opening 15 seconds of the bout.
During a recent interview with Michael Bisping, Aspinall revealed that the UFC have given him a fight date for his return, but are yet to give him an opponent. He said this:
"At the moment I'm just waiting basically. I'd love to tell you that I've got a fight but I'd be lying. I've been told that I'm gonna fight on the 22nd of July, on the London show, and I'm just waiting to get confirmation on that... Nothing officially confirmed at the moment. I'm ready to go, body is in a great place, the mind is good - better than ever actually. I'm just waiting for an opponent right now."
Catch Tom Aspinall's comments below (1:25):
Tom Aspinall burst onto the UFC scene with an impressive TKO victory over Jake Collier in 2020. The Mancunian caught the attention of fans and fighters alike with his unnatural speed and dynamic movement, going on a five-fight win streak before his injury against Curtis Blaydes.
Aspinall is currently ranked No.5 in the heavyweight division, and many believe that he has the potential to become a champion of the division.
Tom Aspinall breaks down Jon Jones' win over Ciryl Gane at UFC 285
Tom Aspinall is one of the brightest talents in the heavyweight division right now. He won all five of his first UFC fights via stoppage, and was awarded the Performance of the Night bonus for four of those wins.
He has been on the sidelines since July 2022, after suffering a serious knee injury against Curtis Blaydes last year, and is set to make his return later this year.
Tom Aspinall shared his thoughts on Jon Jones' win against Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 in March. Having taken time to bulk up to prepare to face heavier opponents, 'Bones' returned after a three-year hiatus and submitted Gane in the first round.
Aspinall believes that despite Jones' impressive performance, there are still questions to be answered. During a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Tom Aspinall said this:
"Very interesting result. Jon Jones looked great, [but] not a lot of answers on how Jon Jones looks at heavyweight. He looked great, ticked all the boxes, but there's still a lot of unanswered questions like, 'What does his cardo look like? What does his striking look like?'"
Catch his comments below (2:50):