Tom Aspinall has released new sparring footage weeks before his next fight – and fans have all picked up on one thing.
Aspinall faces Ciryl Gane in the main event of UFC 321 on October 25 to mark the first defence of his heavyweight title.
Aspinall defends the UFC heavyweight title against France’s Gane on October 25Getty He hasn’t fought since knocking out Curtis Blaydes in 60 seconds at UFC 304GettyThe 32-year-old Briton was elevated to the promotion’s undisputed heavyweight champion when UFC CEO Dana White announced in June that former titleholder Jon Jones had retired.
Aspinall, 15-3 in his professional MMA career, had been crowned the interim champion by knocking out Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295 in November 2023 and defended that status against Curtis Blaydes in Manchester eight months later.
The predator has now become the prey, as Aspinall seeks to make an emphatic statement in the next UFC numbered card against No. 1-ranked heavyweight Gane in Abu Dhabi.
Ahead of the mega clash, Aspinall has dropped some fresh training footage at the state-of-the-art training centre used by rugby league side Wigan Warriors.
In the video, Aspinall is put through his paces by fellow elite fighters Martin Buday, Ante Delija, and Modestas Bukauskas, who all regularly train with the UFC heavyweight champion.
The new footage has caught the attention of the MMA world, with many noticing and commenting on a particular aspect of Aspinall’s style.
Tom Aspinall’s training footage
The video shows Aspinall trading several blows with his teammates in the gym, but fans believe he’s leaving his ‘chin wide open’ in exchanges.
Responding to the footage on X, one fan wrote: “Why is his chin still up in the air?
Another added: “He does the same thing Darren Till used to do, where his chin is always straight up in the air. He lunges in while leading with his face sometimes.
A third said: “Y’all, I know Tom is dangerous, but my god, does he have his chin on a silver platter
Several fans commented that Aspinall was leaving his chin too high in his latest sparring footage, leaving him wide open to a KOTom Aspinall Official - YouTube Others mentioned that the UFC heavyweight champion was quick enough to avoid any follow-up strikes, but still noted the position of his headTom Aspinall Official - YouTubeAnd a fourth replied: “He’s quick enough to get away with leaving his chin high in close exchanges, but one day out of nowhere, he won’t be. You are how you train.”
Another wrote: “Gane is going to counter him hard coming in like that.”
While a sixth said: “Gane is going to f*** him up, he strikes like a regional bum. Just running forward, chin up in the air.”
Others were quick to point out that the video is not an accurate representation of how Aspinall will perform at UFC 321, especially in footage available to the public.
Aspinall has never been knocked out in his 11-year pro MMA career, and will be looking to produce another violent finish against Gane in Abu Dhabi.
His average fight time of two minutes and two seconds in the UFC is the current shortest in UFC history, so it would be no surprise to see him finish Gane early at UFC 321.
Gane has fought for the UFC heavyweight title twice, losing his second chance at gold against Jones in March 2023Getty He outpointed Alexander Volkov in a controversial style in his last fight at UFC 310GettySix of his eight UFC victories have finished via first-round knockout, with his other two coming by first-round and second-round submission.
Aspinall’s only defeat in White’s promotion came when he suffered a freak injury just 15 seconds into his 2022 bout with Blaydes.
Gane, meanwhile, has already fought for the UFC heavyweight title twice.
The 35-year-old stopped Derrick Lewis in 2021 to become the promotion’s interim heavyweight champion, before suffering a unanimous decision defeat to Francis Ngannou in his first undisputed UFC title bout.
Gane got back in the winning column by knocking out Tai Tuivasa in his native France, but lost his second chance at winning heavyweight gold against Jones at UFC 285.
He has since picked up a stoppage victory over Serghei Spivac and a controversial win against Alexander Volkov in his last two fights, with the latter taking place in December 2024.
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