When Tom Aspinall wanted to quit MMA "to focus solely on boxing" due to financial struggles: "I'm struggling to get fights"
Tom Aspinall defended his interim heavyweight title for the first time by defeating Curtis Blaydes via first-round TKO in the co-main event of UFC 304 last weekend. While he has established himself as one of the top mixed martial artists in the world - rising to No. 9 in the UFC's pound-for-pound rankings following his latest victory - he nearly walked away from the sport to focus on boxing in 2016.
Speaking to BoxNation, in a clip shared by X user @acdmma_, Aspinall stated:
"Yeah, that's right, it's not my first day. I've actually been coming quite a bit to do the sparring, but it's my first day that I've decided to focus solely on boxing, but it's time to learn the trade now. I've been doing MMA for a long time. I've been struggling to make it pay financially and just not getting many rewards from it because I'm struggling to get fights so it's time to switch over and do the boxing."
Aspinall continued:
"I've gelled with [boxing coach] Peter [Fury] well. My MMA coach Colin [Heron] has taught me a lot when it comes to boxing, but it's time to learn just the art of boxing now so first day switching over."
Check out footage of a young Tom Aspinall sharing his plans to move from MMA to boxing below:
Tom Aspinall did not compete professionally in mixed martial arts from June 2016 until February 2019, taking a hiatus of over two and a half months from the sport. He made his professional boxing debut in June 2017, defeating Tamas Bajzath via first-round knockout in his only career bout. While he was frustrated about his lack of opportunities in MMA, things ended up working out for the interim heavyweight champion.
Daniel Cormier questions whether Jon Jones can beat Tom Aspinall
Tom Aspinall moved one step closer to facing Jon Jones in a heavyweight title unification when he defeated Curtis Blaydes via first-round TKO at UFC 304. Daniel Cormier, who has a long-standing rivalry with 'Bones', recently questioned if Jones could beat the interim heavyweight champion.
Speaking to his co-host Chael Sonnen on the Good Guy / Bad Guy Podcast, the UFC Hall of Famer stated:
"I believe that we are looking at the best heavyweight on the planet because I don't know, man, if Jon Jones will beat this guy, but I will not be quick to say Jon Jones is afraid of him or that it is a foregone conclusion that he beats Jon because I've been in there with Jones. I know how tough he is, I know how smart he is and I know how much he loves to compete and if you love to compete as much as that guy does, he can never be counted out of a fight."
Check out Daniel Cormier's full comments on Tom Aspinall and Jon Jones below (starting at the 22:08 mark):
Jones appears set to return to the octagon in November when he defends his title against Stipe Miocic. The two were originally set to meet last November, however, the heavyweight champion was forced to withdraw from the bout after tearing the tendon that connects the pectoral muscle to the bone. UFC CEO Dana White has shared that Aspinall will face the winner of the bout.