Tom Aspinall secured the Interim Heavyweight Championship by defeating Sergei Pavlovich in the first round on November 11, making him the first British heavyweight to claim a UFC title. Meanwhile, Alex Pereira utilized a series of elbows to Jiri Prochazka’s head, emerging victorious and clinching the vacant Light Heavyweight Championship in the UFC 295 title fights at Madison Square Garden.
The inclusion of the Interim title fight was a last-minute addition to the card following the cancellation of the scheduled main event between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic for the Heavyweight title. The cancellation occurred because Jones suffered a torn pectoral tendon off the bone during training.
While the UFC awaits Jones’s return, Tom Aspinall is now the titleholder. His emotional celebration extended longer than the actual fight itself. Aspinall, securing his 11th career knockout win in a mere 69 seconds (with only one of his eight UFC fights reaching the second round), collapsed in tears on the canvas. Aspinall had delivered consecutive rights to Sergei Pavlovich’s temple, causing the Russian fighter to crash to the canvas.
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Days after the event, Aspinall dedicated his victory to his grandfather, who passed away earlier this year. On his Instagram account, the British fighter wrote, “Earlier this year, we lost my grandad. It was his dream just as much as mine. I hope wherever we go when this life is over, he still gets to see it”.
Seeing the UFC star pen such an emotional message, fans could not stop themselves from supporting him. “Have no doubt he was extremely proud of you and knew this time would come. RIP”, wrote the former UFC champion Michael Bisping.
“You accomplished every grandson and son dream… congratulations,” wrote another fan. “He will be watching proudly, bro,” commented a fan on Instagram. Moreover, fans join in to support Tom Aspinall as he mourns his grandfather’s death.
Tom Aspinall hopes his grandfather was watching on as he claimed UFC gold
After his historic win at UFC 295 against one of the most feared fighters in the heavyweight division, Tom Aspinall expressed in an interview with Sky Sports that he wishes that his grandpa was watching him win the interim heavyweight title from the heavens.
Aspinall is very close to his family, especially his father. Upon receiving his belt from UFC CEO Dana White, he chose to dedicate his victory to his father by presenting him with the newly won belt. This touching moment serves as a poignant highlight in Aspinall’s MMA career to date.
While Tom Aspinall refrains from proclaiming himself as the best MMA heavyweight globally, he currently holds the title of the best MMA heavyweight in the world. Despite the looming presence of UFC Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones, who had to withdraw from UFC 295 due to injury, Tom acknowledges that Jones is still on the horizon. However, in the present moment, Aspinall asserts that he holds the position of the best by default.