WATCHING six-foot-five, 260lb Tom Aspinall writhe around on the canvas of the Octagon in agony this time last year it was hard to imagine when or even if he would ever return to the UFC.
However, just 364 days later and having fully recovered from career-saving knee surgery, the 30-year-old heavyweight aims to put the worst 15 seconds of his career behind him and continue his push for UFC gold.
Poland’s Marcin Tybura will stand opposite him inside the cage at London’s O2 arena on Saturday night, most likely representing the penultimate opponent in Aspinall’s drive for the heavyweight championship.
It seems ludicrous to suggest last year’s blown out knee, which occurred when the man from Atherton in Greater Manchester kicked opponent Curtis Blaydes to the torso, could be the catalyst to a revised title assault.
But that’s exactly the case.
ASPINALL 2.0
Firstly, the enforced recovery time allowed the 30-year-old and his head coach and father Andy time to overhaul Aspinall’s training setup.
They built their own gym, invited the biggest and heaviest fighters from across the UK to train under one roof, and subsequently formed a monster-mash super-gym to suit Tom’s needs.
Secondly, the injury was a stark reminder of what the 12-3 black belt turned elite striker could have lost. It’s lit a fire inside him.
