Tom Aspinall reveals dream fight and 'horrendous' barrier ahead of UFC 295 bout
03.11.2023 - 11:51
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Having made his UFC debut in July 2020, Wigan born Tom Aspinall has become one of the most exciting British prospects within the sport in recent years.
The 30-year-old's tale from Cage Warriors to the Ultimate Fighting Championship is one of the toughest hard-luck stories in the business. With a perfect record of 5-0 since his switch the company owned by Dana White, Aspinall was presented the opportunity to headline a main event at the 02 in London.
Having only got out of the first round once in his opening five bouts - including four Performance of the Night bonuses - American Curtis Blaydes was the man standing in his way. However, just 15 seconds into the encounter, Aspinall suffered a devastating knee injury that didn’t just end his winning streak, but threatened to derail his career.
“Depressing, horrendous. Absolutely horrendous. It made me want to quit the sport for a little while," he told Adam Catterall, courtesy of Full Circle with bet365.
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“For a couple of days (after the injury) I didn't want to carry on. I fell out with everything and everyone for a little. It’s just not very nice mate, it's just horrendous lay on the floor on your back in front of 22,000 of your own fans with a knee that is numb, locked up, being unable to move it and knowing that I was supposed to go away.
"I was supposed to go and see family in Poland for about a month, I was going to do a little tour of Poland see family and friends and everything, the Mrs was already out there with the kids and I had to cancel that. I had to go down to London and get