Tom Aspinall is a freak, but the best kind. Athletically, mentally, statistically: in every column stands proof that the heavyweight is not a normal person. And even if the contents of those columns were not so kind, the Briton – hulking in stature yet confusingly nimble in motion – would surely drop them like anything else that stands vertically in front of him.
Since reaching the UFC in 2020, Aspinall has been as pristine as one can be in mixed martial arts, a sport that batters the bodies and minds of those who give themselves to it. Aspinall has fought nine times in the UFC, winning eight and suffering his sole loss due to an early injury. All eight wins have come inside the first two rounds. Seven have come in the first round. Two have come in the first minute. If this all sounds somewhat frightening, Aspinall’s uniquely efficient violence, which crowned him interim UFC heavyweight champion, is offset by an easy charm. The Wigan fighter would tell you he’s just a normal guy, and in the ways that matter on a human level, he is. As a combatant, though, we’ll repeat for clarity: he is far from normal.
