New York, NY – New UFC heavyweight interim champion Tom Aspinall revealed that he was injured and wasn’t able to train for his fight with Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295.
“It’s been an absolutely crazy two-and-a-half weeks. I can tell people now. I basically didn’t have any training camp at all,” Aspinall told reporters including Cageside Press at his post-fight scrum.
“I wasn’t really in the best shape. I got the call like 3-4 days after I pulled my back really bad. I couldn’t barely even move or do anything.”
On top of an injury Aspinall did not have a visa to enter the United States which also caused problems.
“And I didn’t have a visa as well. It’s been some three weeks let me tell you. It’s been absolutely insane,” he said.
Taking all of that into consideration Aspinall began to wonder if he had made the right move by accepting a title fight injured.
“That was my exact thoughts when I sat in the locker room tonight. I was like, ‘What am I doing?’ To be honest I get this a lot. Too many people in this game, and in life in general, hide away from fear. They try to be like, ‘I’m not scared’. I openly I’m scared. I’m going to do it anyway,” Aspinall said.
“That’s when I do my best. That’s when I do my best work when a big scary guy is coming at me like that. That’s when I’m at my absolute best.”
With the interim title in tow the next move for Aspinall is pretty clear. Defend, or wait for the winner of Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic.
“Right now I just want to chill for a bit man to be honest. We’ll see what happens, but ultimately I want to fight Jon Jones,” he said.
Jones is still early in his recovery from surgery to repair a torn pectoral, but Aspinall does not want to wait until he’s ready to fight.
“I don’t want to wait a year. I definitely don’t want to wait a year, but I think that me and Jones is the fight to make,” Aspinall said.
“If I have to wait a year, I will. That’s the fight that I really really want. I think that me and Jon in the U.K. that’s just the dream for everybody.”
Then a plea directly to Jones after being told that the champion had sent congratulations to Aspinall on social media.
“Thank you Jon,” said Aspinall.
“Just give me the opportunity, Jon. Let me do it. Give me my dream fight, why not? I’ve just achieved my dream now. Let me fight for my legacy fight now, please.”
Watch the entire post-fight scrum with Tom Aspinall above.
