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England’s got a rising contender in the heavyweight division the new wave the next generation is Tom Aspen he just seems like he’s born and bred to be in there so slck people say that he moves like a middleweight he’s got tremendous Jiu-Jitsu and he’s got knockout power in both of his hands a lot of people think we might be looking at a future UFC heavyweight champion kids real man the real deal I couldn’t imagine my life without Combat Sports it has been in my life for as long as I can remember my dad he used to work in it but he retired from that years ago and then started teaching Jiu-Jitsu full-time my dad is a former fighter himself he’s always been into martial arts and it’s always been around even on my mom’s side they had Fighters boxers and even if they weren’t fighting professionally they were all like Scrappers and stuff anyway so it it’s always been in my life Tom started to Grapple when he was maybe 6 or seven when he was about 10 or 11 he started to really enjoy it and because I was teaching jiujitsu he was a matat he know was with me every day he done all the particular Sports Jiu-Jitsu boxing wrestling and then I’d met Colin from Kon and it just came from there [Music] is I first met Tom when he was 14 15 I think his dad would have come maybe second year I opened and was looking to use a bit of math space practice a bit of jitu with his friends so we got talking to him and then within a couple of weeks he was like would mind learn a bit of jiujitsu if I do jump in and do bit he says I’ll do you the deal then I’ll teach you a little bit of jiujitsu if you coach my son I was looking enough to get him so young so I was able to mold him into what I thought I’d like him to look like from them early days for me it was all about getting him fast keeping him moving getting his angle game up get him as agile and as quick as it could and and that’s how I’ve trained him so now I believe he’s probably as fast as a welterweight I’ll put them against welterweight in air you can outspeed them no problem you can out gas tank them no problem so I think it’s worth things pay dividends beautiful yeah I need I need it twice as fast though yeah I remember the first time I had to sit down with some probably when was 1550 I said what is it you you you want to do and he just said straight away I want to be in the US so I guarantee I’ll put you in the USC if you just keep doing what I’m telling you to do I think Tom’s motivation maybe in the early days will have come from being surrounded by people in the US anyway I don’t know if there’s one individual that stood out I’d say because at that time we had a lot when Tom was 14 15 he then already be sparing with someone like Terry Tim who was in the UFC I would be on the M like Star Struck and I’d just be like a big young kid trying to get involved I’m must have been probably about 16 17 when I even started like Landing any kind of punches on these guys and maybe winning the odd round like here and there and sping and that’s a good feeling Tom’s one of them who’s evolved along the way going past fight number one right through and he’s been there right from the early days right through to DAR till and each day he’d used the guy who’s in the UFC as his motivation not one day the T give up not one day the Tom say that’s it I’m not C out for this it’s too hard each day he’ come back and each St you get that a little bit [Applause] better the way that me madad and Colin looked at it when I was fighting amateur was we’ll just take as many hard fights as we can at amateur to get the most experience we can Christian berer taking on Calvin’s Tom Aspen I’d be very surprised if we don’t see a relatively quick finish from this position and that choke looks very tight to me da there’s a tap so I think out of nine fights I think seven or eight of the people I thought were un beaten in my third amateur fight I fought someone 8 and0 with eight Knockouts now the AFC heavyweight champion Tom aspo I really enjoyed the amate days actually I would have had 50 fights if I could the problem was with my amateur fights is I just basically just ran out of people to fight turning pro same as with the amateur thing like I wanted to have as many fights as I possibly could Aspen in the white and gray rusak in the black and blue yeah immediately trying to close the distance but Aspen easily taking this one to the ground aspinal putting in the work here big punches from Top aspal this is going to be it the referee takes a close look and it’s all over aspor may be seeing this as a good chance to test his stand up against the big man good combinations oh big shot and he’s out and it’s all over in England there wasn’t a heavy weight like him it was about 2015 where opponent after opponent just pulled out you know so there aren’t many heavy weights around and heavy weights pull out it was very rough for me with MMA to be honest I had a child and then we found out that we were having twins I wasn’t getting no regular fights and people were like what are you going to to do like how are you going to provide for your family I was training I was training all the time I was struggling to get opponents though and the fights just weren’t coming through and that was probably the toughest time of my whole career so when 2 and a half years before Tom get an opponent we’d be sitting in venues for an opponent not to te up so a lot of people would have thought okay fair enough he’s had a good go he needs to go and air money support his family but he trusted and he believed cuz we knew where we wanted to go and how we were going to get there I was giving up MMA packing in all together and I thought Tom could make it to the top so we went through heartfelt you’ve got to do this eventually we talked him around and and then he came back I was aware that the usfc were looking at me anyway so that’s why I signed with cage Warriors cuz I thought they could give me better opponents who I could give me more time in there before to the UFC hug shot drops the bomb looking for the finish and it’s over unbelievable the same thing happen in cage warri is it’s just really hard finding people of that quality to fight cage warriors were really struggling to get me opponents and they told me that and I thought if cage Warriors release me I’m back to square one so it’s either I go to the UFC now or I’m back to where I was like 2 years ago so obviously we went for the UFC and obviously it was the right move so I’m I’m happy with it it’s pretty much been the plan since Tom was able to walk that he would get here to the UFC Dan this guy is a devastating individual At This heavyweight division it doesn’t matter if you’re on the UFC or you’re on an arate show it’s the same thing just figh another guy who’s trying to knock you out tomm ready Jake ready there is Tomy Aspen making his UFC debut round number one that’s it not count for Tom aspo in his debut the close people around me and myself like we all had a strong belief that this is what I’m going to do and it’s going to work and without that belief I would have just I wouldn’t have done it I’m glad he’s doing what he’s doing I wanted my kids to do something that they like doing that’s the only important thing as a father I’m glad he’s an athlete if he wants to be an athlete nice clinch here beautiful yeah this was a very smart move for Tom to take him down there he is double quick again he goes two and0 with the UFC oh he connected look at this this could be it this is it it’s done there it is look man just a blitz and goes right under the chin Aspen’s got some fast hands man he’s really fast oh people are covering up tool still all the rage wow what a moment for the buing heavyweight Contender wow Tom asol is the real deal I am motivated on another level like I’ve got to kick up the ass more than I’ve ever had before to go and push myself to the absolute limits because this is my dream and I ain’t letting no one take it away from asol welcome to the world famous U Arena London England for UFC Fight Night Blaze versus Aspen UFC heavyweight Tom Aspen first under the big stage with five finishes in five UFC fights Tom asol has acknowledged this is the toughest challenge he could possibly face he made short work of everyone the UFC has put in front of him and he has no plans of slowing up and plan to make it six straight in the London Main Event against Curtis blades last summer can Curtis Blaze slow down the brick tonight until the fight [Music] began Tom said he’s going to push the action W oh his knee’s gone wow his knee’s gone oh such a shame oh no and of course we wish Tom asol all the very very best on his road back the process was long it was very tough it was very character building but since I recovered from the injury I feel like I’m in a really really good spot mentally and physically because of what happened just one day shy of a full calendar year later Aspen would return one year ago Tom Aspen’s world fell apart here in the O2 Arena but the time away has been spent utterly focused on rebuilding himself to serve his dream of becoming a UFC champion for another London headliner where he put the heavyweight division back on notice he wanted to return to the scene of the crime the scene where he suffered that agonizing knee injury he’s come back a bigger better strong longer version of himself here we go folks the return of thas manol against that man on hot streak marching Bora you want to touch now A Time God bless the top of the heavyweight pitcher is electric right now lot of fun matchups must beat one thing we know about Tom Aspen he’s very quick for a heavyweight and he must all right yeah I was going to say I think so let’s test it out oh look at the hands Tom is on fire look how loose he is dancing around that was a kick punishing front kick don’t let him TCH you keep the middle keep the middle oh nice elbow from I was just way more confident big shelling my body’s been good my mind’s been in a really good spot it’s a fairy tale turn for Tom asol unbelievable I didn’t expect it to be like that I’ve been ready to fight for a title he makes quick work of Marin Tor and not many people can do that I’m telling you keep an eye on this man because Tomas spol is [Music] coming it’s been a really tough year for me this is a whole new version of me I’m not going to say that I’m back because I’m different now I’m just different than what I was last year my mind’s different my body’s different and I’m going all the way Tom aspino with the victory in his home nation Aspen was one step closer to a heavyweight title shot and when the division’s champion was forced out of a November 11th title defense an opportunity for Aspen would [Music] materialize Jon Jones was training last night got injured he was wrestling and he tore the tendon that connects your Peck to the Bone off the bone 8 months going to need surgery he’s out so the co-main event now is pavich versus Aspen for the interim Heavyweight Championship an intern title bout in New York City puts Aspen one step closer to the Ultimate Prize but getting through Russia’s Sergey pavlovich is no easy task moscow’s own Sergey pavlovic he is a scary dude when he gets going that is a big man looks like an absolute psychopath kill or be killed most of the time he’s killing pavich is winding up he put him down massive uppercut and he sixth down goal the power that this man possesses it’s insane he’s been an absolute wrecking machine pavlovic raining down the blows he gets pulled up it’s win number two for the Russian insane knockout power really is quite scary oh he detonates that right hand this is going to be it it’s a smash and grab that’s it for pavlovich here in London oh oh early combination for the Russian ja oh and another big right hand LS face first Serge pavic pavic hits like a monster early knockdown for pablovich both men recognize the danger oh what a monster that is going to do it Serge pavlovic 17 up and one down wow not only have the past six men pavlovich has faced failed to defeat him they could not last one round each falling victim to the Russians hard charging offense brute strength again in the first the record-breaking Russian does it again another first round knockout for Sergey pavich by TKO Sergey [Music] pav with the PowerHouse heavyweight from Russia this journey towards a UFC title began the very moment he first laid eyes on the [Music] sport [Music] for yeah [Music] youc [Music] [Applause] [Music] the appeals of Sunny South Florida are boundless but for the plethora of mixed martial artists who relocate here from across the globe the primary attractions are gyms like American top team and it’s this state-of-the-art operation which lured UFC heavyweight Sergey [Music] pavlovich te [Music] [Music] you [Music] see undefeated Fight [Music] Night [Music] [Music] for like pavlovich his UFC 295 opponent Tom Aspen is making adaptations to his surroundings in order to best prepare himself for heavyweight [Music] battle I had a lot of time to think about what I need to change I think the main difference was I needed to train with guys my size you get them off back one person attacks person defends so we just brought in a lot of heavy weights every day now I train with at least four or five different guys my size or bigger it’s definitely improved my physical attributes like my strength having to shift guys 120 kilo plus every day every session it’s really tough but I know that I can handle guys my size all the time not every now and again a unit of Behemoth prepare the UK’s top heavyweight for his shot at UFC go an aspal goes toe-to-toe with Sergey pavlovich in New York for the interm title two of the scariest humans wearing four round gloves are about to put it all on the line both of these guys have absolute ridiculous one punch knockout power that’s it no count for Tomas P the sky truly is the limit for this young guy good looking at a future UFC heavyweight champ look at that it’s over it’s done hand on heart I think Sergey pavic is the most dangerous guy in the UFC oh good look he’s looking to absolutely knock your head up into the top roope he’s on a sixf fight knockout streak the power that this man possesses it’s insane the only difference is the last six guys we fought and not named thas l like a middleweight Tom asol is the real deal Ser hit so hard he detonates that right hand what a ferocious heavyweight we have here PA hits like a monster that’s it it’s over wow I need Bel where is my Bel Havey weight set the stage for a 205 lb title bout in the headliner between Yuri prusa this man is dangerous he can get the job done everywhere Alex perea he flatlines the best fighters in the world the battle for the vacant belt it’s UFC 295 in the Mecca on November [Applause] 11