Tom Aspinall shares cryptic answer about training with Francis Ngannou and Eric Nicksick
Tom Aspinall remained coy about potentially working with Francis Ngannou and his longtime coach, Eric Nicksick, in preparation for his expected clash against Jon Jones. Aspinall is the current UFC interim heavyweight champion and will likely face 'Bones' in a title unification bout next, with Jones holding the undisputed title.
During Ngannou's reign as UFC heavyweight champion, the fight both fans and pundits wanted to see was between 'The Predator' and Jones, who had announced his move from light heavyweight to heavyweight.
With the Cameroonian now plying his trade in the Professional Fighters League (PFL), the most desired matchup in the UFC's heaviest division is between the undisputed champion and the interim title holder.
During a recent fan Q&A, Aspinall was asked if he had connected with Ngannou and Nicksick to help prepare for Jones, to which he answered:
"Yes, but that's a personal conversation. I'll keep that away from the camera, me and Eric are friends. But that's personal business."
Check out Tom Aspinall's comments below (10:38):
Jones most recently defended his heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic at UFC 309. The interim champion was the official back-up fighter for the title clash, but his services were not needed, and he was afforded the chance to watch the bout from the front row.
The 31-year-old hinted at several potential openings in the fighting style of 'Bones' that he could exploit but refused to discuss the details.
Francis Ngannou's coach shares his talks with Tom Aspinall
Francis Ngannou's longtime coach, Eric Nicksick, is one of the leading minds in MMA right now and the head coach of the Xtreme Couture MMA gym in Las Vegas.
He has worked with Tom Aspinall in the past. But following the recently concluded UFC 309 event on Nov. 16, Nicksick revealed he has had discussions with the interim heavyweight champion about a game plan for Jon Jones.
The Xtreme Couture coach was recently interviewed by The Schmo, where he said this:
"I actually talked to Tom on Monday, we were going back and forth a little bit on some of the gameplanning things. You can't be in that B-range and just get snaked-charmed by Jon, let him grab your hands and let him dictate the pace... You have to be hyper aggressive in those positions."
Check out Eric Nicksick's comments on Tom Aspinall below (3:20):