Credit:Getty/UFC
Credit: Getty/UFC
Tom
Aspinall’s latest Ultimate Fighting Championship victory came
by different means than he anticipated it would.
After nearly finishing Andrei
Arlovski with punches in the opening stanza, the Englishman
landed a takedown early in Round 2, locking in a rear-naked choke
for a submission victory at the 1:09 mark of the period.
“I didn’t expect to finish him with a submission. That’s the last
thing I expected,” Aspinall said. “I thought it was going to be a
quick knockout or I’m going to beat him on points. Very happy with
it, but not very happy with the performance. I’ve got a lot to work
on, but I’ve got a long time to work on it. It’s all good.”
Aspinall’s previous five triumphs — including two in UFC
competition — had come via KO or TKO, but the Team Kaobon product
points out that he has solid submission skills even if he doesn’t
usually show them.
“I’ve been doing jiu-jitsu for a long time. My dad’s one of the
first black belts in the UK. Just because I’m not doing it [in
fights], doesn’t mean I can’t do it,” he said. “I can do jiu-jitsu
at a high level. Let people think that I can’t do it because
they’re going to be surprised.
“My striking was not on point tonight. I don’t know why,”
Aspinall added. “Just couldn’t get it going tonight. Maybe that’s
because he’s a veteran and the shots weren’t there as easily. I
don’t know, but it’s early days for me. I’ve got a long time to
improve.”
Aspinall admitted to being a little starstruck during fight week.
Arlovski is one of the most well-known heavyweights in the UFC and
a former champion. And even though his best days are behind him,
the Belarusian entered Saturday night having won three of his last
four promotional appearances.
“I’ve been in that hotel scared all week. He’s a scary guy. I’m
scared of Andrei
Arlovski. I’ve got no problem saying it,” Aspinall said. “I
watched him for a long time. I watched him so much that I almost
knew what he was going to do before he did it. It means a lot to
me.”
Going forward, Aspinall would like to continue to test himself
against some of the heavyweight division’s more experienced
talents.
“I’d like to fight some more veterans, to be honest. I feel like I
learned a lot in there tonight,” he said. “When you fight someone
who’s been in there with everyone, it rubs off on you. I feel I
learned a lot in there tonight and I’m going to be better next time
because of it. It’s brilliant to knock someone out in 30 seconds,
but there’s not a lot you learn from it. I’d like to fight another
experienced guy.”