Tom Aspinall expects to have a long reign as UFC heavyweight champion, but there’s one opponent he will never face.
In the main event of UFC 321 on Oct. 25, Aspinall defends his belt against Ciryl Gane. This marks Aspinall’s second title defense after he successfully defended an interim championship against Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304.
Should Aspinall get past Gane, it’s unclear who will be up next for Aspinall with the British star having knocked off several contenders on his way to the top and the division suffering from a lack of compelling challengers. One intriguing name is 2022 PFL tournament champion Ante Delija, who immediately cracked the top 10 in his UFC debut with a first-round knockout of Marcin Tybura.
However, Delija just so happens to be a longtime training partner and close friend of Aspinall’s. During a “Would You Rather?” segment on the ShxtsnGigs Podcast, Aspinall was asked a hypothetical of if he’d rather fight his best friend for the title or vacate the belt and never get it back, and the Delija situation immediately came to mind.
“This is actually a bit of an on-trend topic,” Aspinall said. “My friend and training partner [Delija] just got to the UFC, he just got his first win and now he’s in the top 10, which is like, to get your first win and he just beat a guy in the top 10, so he’s potentially two or three wins away from a title shot.”
In 11 years as a pro, Aspinall has compiled an impressive list of accomplishments, winning eight of his nine UFC fights with his only loss coming by way of a freak injury when he first fought Blaydes in July 2022. Not only did he avenge the Blaydes loss with a 60-second knockout in their rematch, Aspinall has won all 15 of his pro bouts by KO/TKO or submission.
What remains to be seen is how long Aspinall can stay on top and he’s hoping that after he has his run, the path will be clear for him to pass the crown on to Delija.
“The thing is, if I never won a title and never touched gold before, we would have to fight, because that’s my dream,” Aspinall said. “But now I’ve done it, I would be, like, I would vacate it and he can have his time. I wouldn’t fight him. No chance.
“I’ve got guys who I’ve trained with for years and stuff and I’ve got the guys who are my genuine friends and he’s one of my genuine friends, I would never – there’s some stuff to me that’s more important than money and titles. I’ve won the title, I’ve done that, and I’ve got a few more in me before he’s going to be up there anyway. So if none of us had won the title, and we’re both in around the same time, we’d have to fight because that’s my dream and that’s his dream. But right now I’ve done it, I’ve still got more to do, but I can do that more in the time that he’s climbing and then when he’s there I’m happy to [step aside].”
Even when it comes to his opponents, Aspinall rarely feels the kind of animosity one would expect. Case in point, Aspinall’s upcoming clash with Gane once again puts him at odds with a fighter he considers himself to be on good terms with.
At the end of the day, though, if Aspinall is standing across the cage from someone, he only has one goal in mind.
“Now, I’m obviously UFC heavyweight champion, doing alright for myself, getting paid and all that,” Aspinall said. “That’s nice. ‘Getting the bag,’ as the kids say. But ultimately, I don’t want to get beat up in front of millions of people, so if it’s me or them, it’s got to be them. It just has to be.
“For example, my next opponent I’m fighting, Cyril Gane. I’ve spent a fair bit of time with him. We’ve been on a few parties together. Met each other a few times. He’s a cool guy. But it’s me or him. So it has to be him, simple as that.”
Roundtable. Which UFC fight are you looking forward to the most as we close out 2025?
Finale. Merab Dvalishvili and Alexandre Pantoja defend their titles on the last UFC pay-per-view of 2025.
Ready. Alex Pereira confident Jon Jones will be on the same page if fight talks progress.
Intense. Jiri Prochazka felt he “had to end” Khalil Rountree at UFC 320.
Prayers. The sad saga of UFC legend B.J. Penn takes another depressing turn.
Reaction to UFC 323’s big announcements.
Charles Oliveira’s UFC Rio media scrum.
MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck chats with the man of the hour, Jiri Prochazka.
José Youngs talks Anything But Fighting with Youssef Zalal.
Aljo post-marriage podcast.
UFC 321 just around the corner.
Submission Radio interview with Beneil Dariush.
On to the Next One. MMA Fighting’s Alexander K. Lee figures out what’s next for Charles Oliveira and the rest of the big winners at UFC Rio with a huge helping hand from the listeners.
Severe MMA. Seán Sheehan and Graeme McDonnell dig into the latest Conor McGregor debacle, UFC Rio results, and more.
SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE
The tears still haven’t dried.
I don’t know what all this means but I think it roughly translates to TITLE SHOT.
Merab Dvalishvili (21-4) vs. Petr Yan (19-5); UFC 323, Dec. 6
Alexandre Pantoja (30-5) vs. Joshua Van (15-2); UFC 323, Dec. 6
Henry Cejudo (16-5) vs. Payton Talbott (10-1); UFC 323, Dec. 6
Jan Blachowicz (29-11-1) vs. Bogdan Guskov (18-3); UFC 323, Dec. 6
Brandon Moreno (23-8-2) vs. Tatsuro Taira (17-1); UFC 323, Dec. 6
And with that, the UFC’s 2025 calendar year is set!
Merab Dvalishvili gets his wish to attempt to defend his title four times in a calendar year, something that’s never been done before, and Alexandre Pantoja gets a headlining spot on a December PPV once again.
If you find something you’d like to see in the Morning Report, hit up @AlexanderKlee or @JedKMeshew on Twitter and let us know about it. Also, follow MMAFighting on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and like us on Facebook.
Subscribe to my channel
