Tom Aspinall, in the opinion of Ngannou head coach Eric Nicksick, has not yet reached the full extent of his ability as a heavyweight fighter.
Right now, the UFC heavyweight division is a little disorganized. Francis Ngannou, the former champion, is no longer with the UFC. With a torn pectoral, current champion Jon Jones will be out for several months. When Jones returns, top contender Stipe Miocic will face him first. As a result, Tom Aspinall, the recent interim champion, finds himself unable to overcome the three toughest opponents in his weight class.
That’s unfortunate because Aspinall ought to be using this opportunity to excel and establish his own greatness.
Aspinall’s victory at UFC 295 earned him accolades from Eric Nicksick, Ngannou’s coach, on a recent episode of Remember The Show featuring Belal Muhammad.
“I got all the receipts, boys, I’ve been telling everybody for a long time that Tom Aspinall was the guy,” Nicksick declared.
“I think people forgot about him due to that knee injury that he suffered in the London card against Curtis Blaydes,” he continued. “I felt like that was gonna be his coming out party. Unfortunately, it was an injury instead and he was out for a period of time. But, as a coach in the division, at the time having Francis Ngannou, you start to look at the landscape of possible competition as it comes up through the rankings, and I think Tom Aspinall to me was 1A.”
When asked which of Jones and Aspinall would be a more difficult opponent for Ngannou, Nicksick suggested “Bones.”
“You really have to choose the guy who’s regarded as the best of the best.” said Nicksick. “Jon Jones, simply due to his heritage, past accomplishments, character, and status as a champion, is my choice. However, I believe the opposite? Tom Aspinall is definitely on the upswing. In many aspects, Tom Aspinall reminds me of Francis Ngannou, but I believe his athleticism is still in its early stages. In terms of his development and maturation, I believe Aspinall still has a lot more to offer.
Seeing as how Ngannou left the UFC and is gearing up for a rematch with Tyson Fury in the middle of 2024, it’s unlikely that we will ever see “The Predator” take on Jones or Aspinall. But despite all the turmoil in his category right now, we will get to watch if Aspinall turns into a really unique heavyweight champion.
