Tom Aspinall on Return: ‘I’m Gonna Come Back When I’m Ready’

Tom Aspinall isn’t looking to rush his Ultimate Fighting Championship return.

In 2022, Aspinall (12-3, 5-1 UFC) saw the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. First, the Manchester-born fighter headlined the electrifying UFC Fight Night 204, where he forced Alexander Volkov to tap due to a straight armbar in the opening frame. At that moment, the sky was the limit for the British fighter as this year’s first UFC foray in England was a total success. Things changed in the second UFC London event, headlined by a clash between Aspinall and Curtis Blaydes. That night, the Team Kaobon representative injured his knee 15 seconds into the fight. While talking with Sherdog, Aspinall confessed he had been dealing with issues with his knee for a long time ahead of that fight in July. Now, he wants to take the right steps to get back into the Octagon.

“I'm just gonna come back when I'm ready. No one is gonna tell me what to do and put pressure on me when I come back because I can't afford for this to happen again. It’s not happening again, simple as that. When I come back, I want it to be 100 percent sure that I'm gonna come back and push on and win the title. Not like, ‘Oh, I can't take this fight ‘cause we need this.’ I'm not doing that anymore. I'm gonna come back with 100 percent sure focus that I'm gonna go and win the title and nothing less. To answer the question, I'm just gonna get back in there when I feel ready to get back in there. I’m not putting a timeframe on it.”

Timestamps:

(00:00) Intro
(00:18) Defeating Volkov
(01:21) Headlining his first UFC event
(02:22) His freak injury in the Blaydes fight
(03:04) Teasing an improved version of himself
(03:39) Commenting on his possible return
(04:21) Wanting a rematch with Blaydes
(05:06) Pushing for a UK stadium UFC event
(06:28) Hoping to fight in Manchester
(06:56) Looking to face anyone in the UFC heavyweight division