Tom Aspinall earned the biggest win of his UFC career on Saturday and the heavyweight contender followed it up by calling out fan-favorite fighter Tai Tuivasa.
Aspinall headlined the UFC London event on March 19 opposite Alexander Volkov, a staple top contender. It was the Englishman’s chance to propel himself into the top of the division, and a moment to earn a victory in front of his countrymen. And Aspinall did just that.
The 28-year-old combatant needed less than a round to tap out Volkov, catching him in a straight armbar after controlling the Russian on the ground for the majority of the bout. When the official rankings update next week, Aspinall will either be knocking on the door of the top five, or he’ll ascend into it.
For his next opponent, Aspinall challenged Tuivasa. “Bam Bam” is coming off a massive victory of his own, knocking out Derrick Lewis last month at UFC 271. The win earned Tuivasa the No. 3 slot in the heavyweight division.
Aspinall has his eyes set on Tuivasa, who he is a fan of. “The reason why I called out Tai is first of all, am a massive fan of his style,” Aspinall said via Middle Easy. “Second of all [I’m] a massive fan of his personality. And the crowd goes wild when he fights and apparently, the crowd goes wild when I fight so me and him in the U.K., come on bro! What a good time that would be. Let’s line up the next UK card get me and Tai on it please.”
Hey @BamBamTuivasa you hearing this? 👀 #UFCLondon
A win over him over Bam Bam would line Aspinall up for either title contention a top-contender match.
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Aspinall Is Willing to Do a Shoey With Tuivasa
Tuivasa is known for doing a shoey after his wins inside the Octagon. And although he’s never done one, Aspinall is ready to try it alongside his potential opponent.
“I’m a shoey virgin at the moment but if Tai wants to do one, I will,” Tuivasa said. “Big shout out to Tai for what he’s doing with the shoe and I started seeing his making money off that as well so, respect man!”
Aspinall had his own beer-drinking moment after beating Volkov. Watch below the UFC’s tweet:
Big Tom got his beers 🍻 #UFCLondon
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Aspinall Prefers Earning Knockouts Over Submissions
In a perfect world, the Englishman would have knocked out Volkov.
“I do like knocking people out, I will be honest,” Aspinall said. “For me, knocking someone out is better than submission but I’ll take the submission over five rounds [of fighting] all day.”
A KO or TKO is usually how Aspinall defeats his opponents. Aspinall, who has a professional MMA record of 12-2, has earned nine victories by KO/TKO and three by submission. Aspinall has never seen the final bell.
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UFC Heavyweight Contender Takes Aim at Tai Tuivasa