- Tom Aspinall, a 6-foot-6-inch heavyweight, made a statement in his UFC debut on Sunday.
- The 27-year-old hit each of his 10 shots, knocking his opponent Jake Collier down with a one-two ending.
- Aspinall then said that he had been visualizing a route to the UFC championship.
- Watch the ending below.
- Visit the Insider home page for more stories.
FIGHT ISLAND – A UFC rookie took “Fight Island” by storm when he swept through his opponent, winning by a knockout in 45 seconds Sunday.
Meet Tom Aspinall, a 6-foot-6-foot Englishman who barely broke a sweat at his MMA match at the Flash Forum on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.
Aspinall brought a reputation for heavy-handedness with him to the Octagon, and a precise and forceful combination of one and two blows brought his opponent Jake Collier to the canvas, where he then cringed on all fours, wishing for the fight to end.
Collier was barely in the fight, landing only three of the nine attempted attacks. Aspinall, meanwhile, managed all 10 hits, many of them significant, thrown with brute force.
Check out the punches that end the fight here:
—UFC (@ufc) July 25, 2020
Or here if you are in a different region:
—UFC at BT Sport (@btsportufc) July 25, 2020
“[UFC] The debut was incredible, it was exactly what I have seen in my mind all along, “Aspinall said after his victory, the eighth of his career.
“It was good, it was amazing. I knew he is a little sloppy with his technique and he rushes a bit, so it was just what we practiced in the gym, timing my shots, unhurriedly, taking a little time it bit and worked well “
Aspinall then said he would like to return in a couple of months, challenged fellow “Fight Island” competitor Serghei Spivac to a rampage, and said he even has his eyes on the UFC heavyweight championship.
“I would like to go back in September, October time, something like that,” Aspinall said. “I was very impressed with Serghei Spivac, who fought last week on this card, he is a promising young boy, I am a promising young boy and I think they should come together and fight.”
After that, he’s putting the steps together, winning fight by fight, until he’s in a position to challenge and win the UFC title, he said.
“One day I will be the UFC heavyweight world champion,” Aspinall said. “I’ve always seen it in my mind.”
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