UFC interim 265-pound champion, Tom Aspinall, is widely-considered the second-best heavyweight in the game, right behind reigning division titleholder, Jon Jones. That’s one of many reasons why fight fans want to see Aspinall fight Jones to unify the straps.
But there was a time when Aspinall was not only defeated on the regional scene, but also finished by way of submission. Heavyweight titan Stuart Austin, nicknamed “He-Man” for his imposing frame, was able to outwrestle Aspinall in their 2015 showdown.
Perhaps “Bones” can follow the same blueprint.
“The big thing that hasn’t been tested in the UFC has been his wrestling,” Austin told talkSPORT.com. “If you want to look back at me, I outwrestled him. Obviously he’s got a lot better since then. He’s been doing wrestling classes, he’s better at everything. He’s better with his distance management. He’s better with his MMA in general. You’ve seen moments like when he took down [Andrei] Arlovski, he did a really, really smooth takedown in that fight. But I think clinch and wrestling would probably be the way to go for Jon, because if he strikes with Aspinall, I think there’s only one person going to win that fight.”
Aspinall has connected on all four of his takedown attempts under the UFC banner.
“You put Aspinall in against all these top guys and you’re like, ‘Well, maybe they will go out and test him,’ but they just fall over,” Austin continued. “His power and his speed and accuracy of getting to the target is really, really impressive. So maybe Jon could test the deep waters, try and take him a little bit further. But again, maybe you don’t have that as a choice. I’m sure everyone’s tried to take him a little bit further. He’s an amazing martial artist. You know, he really is the best heavyweight right now.”
He’ll need a victory over Jones to prove it.
UFC CEO Dana White wants all the Doubting Thomases to “relax” because the Jones vs. Aspinall title unification bout is coming. We don’t yet know where or when, but the UFC 317 pay-per-view (PPV) during International Fight Week seems to be the leading candidate.
Stay tuned.
