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UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall has his eyes set on being “the best heavyweight ever” as he prepares for his rematch with Curtis Blaydes in Manchester on Saturday.
The 31-year-old Salford-born fighter is preparing to face Blaydes on home soil on July 27, two years after he suffered a knee injury just 15 seconds into his first bout with the American which ultimately ended in defeat at the O2 Arena.
Laying on the canvas with a medial collateral ligament injury, Aspinall pinpoints the moment which made him change his lifestyle and has since earned the interim heavyweight title with a win over Sergei Pavlovich on two weeks’ notice at Madison Square Garden.
Following his defeat to Blaydes in London, Aspinall admitted he did not know whether he wanted to carry on fighting but insists the injury was a blessing in disguise.
He told the PA news agency: “I want to be the best heavyweight ever and that’s what I’m working towards.
“I got to a point where I didn’t know what I wanted to do, and whether I wanted to carry on fighting or not.
“I changed a lot of things – if I’m going to carry on with this sport I need to go all in and be my best. If I do try my best and doesn’t work out at least I can look myself in the mirror and know I tried.
“At the time it was terrible but it’s one of the best things that has happened to me, not even in my career but in my life.”
I'm nervous, it'd be silly not to be, it's a lot of pressure but I'm good with pressure— Tom Aspinall
Aspinall has fought in England before but it will be the first time the heavyweight will line up so close to home in front of his own fans at the first sporting event at the Co-op Live arena.
Aspinall’s clash with Blaydes will be the co-main event of the evening before welterweight champion Leon Edwards meets Belal Muhammad for the title, but the timings of the fight will go into the early morning to cater for UFC’s predominantly American audience.
Aspinall insists he always dreamed for nights like this.
He added: “I’m nervous, it’d be silly not to be, it’s a lot of pressure but I’m good with pressure.
“This is why I got involved in the sport, for nights like this, fighting in my home city in front of 25,00 Manchester fans, defending a title is what dreams are made of for me.
“On that night on 27th July there is nowhere else I would rather be, stood in front of the Coop live arena with my shirt off and gloves on staring across from Curtis Blaydes.”
Aspinall teamed up with his sponsors Gym King for their Nothing Beats Belief campaign to surprise Ottis, 16, a young fan who has faced adversity in his life and got a chance to do a pad session with Aspinall.
Ottis, from Antigua, was given the chance to get on the pads for a sneak peek what life is like to be as a mixed martial arts fighter.
Aspinall, who took time out from preparing for his fight, added: “He’s been through a bit of a rough life so it was nice to do that and make his day a little bit – it’s good that I can give back a little bit.”
– Gym King’s Nothing Beats Belief campaign is aimed at being resilient and having the right mindset to overcome adversity whoever you are.
