Tom Aspinall won the interim UFC Heavyweight title at UFC 295 after defeating Sergei Pavlovich via a first-round KO. Aspinall picked up the fight on short notice but showed extraordinary grit and determination in his preparation to win. Following his victory, UFC analyst Chael Sonnen has revealed a story about Aspinall’s life that not many people know about.
In a video released by ESPN, Sonnen talked about Aspinall’s family and how he cares for his three children – one of whom is a child with special needs. Sonnen explained that one of Aspinall’s cornermen told him that one thing “Tom’s better at than fighting is being a father.” Sonnen claimed, “That’s the biggest compliment you can give a man.”
However, Sonnen expressed surprise at such information from a man he just met. The former UFC fighter further explains that the man told him, “He [Aspinall] has three children. One has special needs. He said the wife is not here because they could not find what they deemed as parents’ adequate health care.
So, she stayed home, she missed the trip, she missed the moment, she missed the spotlight to be with their children. That meant something to me.”
It is no surprise that Aspinall is a great father as he has a heartwarming relationship with his own. His father helped him train in MMA from an early age and gave him the base for an exceptional career. After winning the belt, Aspinall, in an emotional moment, dedicated the belt to his father, Andy Aspinall.
Tom Aspinall was “in denial” of his child’s special needs in the beginning
In an interview with BBC in October 2023, Aspinall opened up about his son who is autistic. He claimed that he was “in denial at first” but started to get to know about the situation better as time went by.
“When you start to learn about autism, you learn there’s not something wrong with them. It’s just a different way that their brains work.”
UFC heavyweight, Tom Aspinall talks about his son’s autism diagnosis.#BBCMMA
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) October 18, 2023
Aspinall is a loving father of a seven-year-old son and two four-year-old twin boys. According to BBC, the MMA fighter explained that in 2021 “one of the twins began to fall behind with speech and other key developmental milestones.”
Aspinall felt that his son would catch up in time but he he received advice to get him checked. It led him to understand that his child had special needs and deserved special care. He explained that his understanding of autism was still in its “infancy” but he wanted to use his platform as a top MMA fighter to raise awareness. He asked parents to not hesitate in seeking a diagnosis if they have any concerns.