| Tom Aspinall | |
|---|---|
| Born | Thomas Paul Aspinall (1993-04-11)11 April 1993 (age 32) Salford, England |
| Height | 6 ft 5 in (196 cm) |
| Weight | 255 lb (116 kg; 18 st 3 lb) |
| Division | Heavyweight (2014-present) |
| Reach | 78 in (198 cm)[1] |
| Fighting out of | Salford,Lancashire, England |
| Team | Team Kaobon[2] Aspinall BJJ (2005–present)[3][4] |
| Rank | Black belt inBrazilian Jiu-Jitsu[5][4] |
| Years active | 2014–present |
| Professional boxing record | |
| Total | 1 |
| Wins | 1 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 19 |
| Wins | 15 |
| By knockout | 12 |
| By submission | 3 |
| Losses | 3 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| By submission | 1 |
| By disqualification | 1 |
| No contests | 1 |
| Other information | |
| Boxing record fromBoxRec | |
| Mixed martial arts record fromSherdog | |
Thomas Paul Aspinall[6] (born 11 April 1993)[7] is an English professionalmixed martial artist. He currently competes in theHeavyweight division of theUltimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is the currentUFC Heavyweight Champion. As of 9 December 2025, he is #7 in theUFC men's pound-for-pound rankings.[8] Aspinall is known for his finishing ability, having finished six of his eight UFC wins by the halfway point of the first round, and holds the UFC record for shortest average fight time at two minutes and eighteen seconds.[9]
Thomas Paul Aspinall was born on 11 April 1993 inSalford, in theGreater Manchester ceremonial county ofNorth West England. He followed his father's footsteps by beginning to train martial arts when he was seven years old at the Leigh Self Defence Studio inLeigh.[10] After being trained incatch wrestling andboxing, Aspinall transitioned tojiu-jitsu.[2][4] He has won the British Open in Brazilian jiu-jitsu in all belt classes except black belt.[11][4][12] After his father became the jiu-jitsu instructor ofTeam Kaobon, Aspinall grew interested in mixed martial arts and transitioned into the sport.[2] In the year after completing school at age 16, Aspinall grew from 5 feet 8 inches (1.73 m) to 6 feet 5 inches (1.96 m), causing intense growing pains.[13]
At age 18, Aspinall had his first amateur fight. He posted a record of nine wins and no losses as an amateur.[14] All but one of his wins came via knockout or submission.[15] He made his professional debut at MMA Versus UK and later fought atBAMMA, where he amassed a record of 4 wins and 2 losses. He has also fought at Full Contact Contender in between.[16][6]
Aspinall signed a five-fight contract withCage Warriors after a 2.5-year hiatus from professional mixed martial arts.[17][4] Aspinall was offered a contract by theUltimate Fighting Championship also, but did not feel ready for the organisation and subsequently turned it down.[17] After two fast finishes in Cage Warriors he eventually signed to the UFC.[17][4]
Aspinall was originally scheduled to make his promotional debut againstRaphael Pessoa atUFC Fight Night: Woodley vs. Edwards on 21 March 2020.[18] However, Pessoa withdrew from the bout citing an injury and was replaced byJake Collier,[19] but the event was cancelled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[20] Subsequently, the pairing was left intact and took place on 25 July 2020, atUFC on ESPN 14.[21] He won the fight via technical knockout in round one.[22] This win earned him thePerformance of the Night award.[23]
Aspinall's second UFC appearance was expected to be againstSerghei Spivac atUFC Fight Night: Moraes vs. Sandhagen on 11 October 2020.[24] However, Spivak withdrew from the bout for undisclosed reasons and he was replaced by promotional newcomerAlan Baudot.[25] Aspinall won the fight via first-round technical knockout.[26]
Aspinall next facedAndrei Arlovski atUFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Lewis on 20 February 2021.[27] He won the fight via a submission in round two.[28] This win earned him thePerformance of the Night award.[29]
Aspinall was expected to faceSergei Pavlovich on 4 September 2021, atUFC Fight Night 191.[30] However, Pavlovich was removed from the card in late-August due to allegedvisa issues which restricted his ability to travel and was replaced bySerghei Spivac.[31] Aspinall won the fight via technical knockout in round one.[32] The win earned Aspinall his thirdPerformance of the Night bonus award.[33]
Aspinall was scheduled to faceShamil Abdurakhimov on 19 March 2022, atUFC Fight Night 204.[34] However, on 21 January 2022, it was announced that Aspinall would instead faceAlexander Volkov.[35] Aspinall won the fight via straight armbar submission in round one.[36] With this win, he received thePerformance of the Night award.[37]
Aspinall facedCurtis Blaydes on 23 July 2022, atUFC Fight Night 208.[38] He lost the fight by technical knockout 15 seconds into the first round after being rendered unable to continue due to a knee injury.[39]
After a year off due to his injury, Aspinall returned to faceMarcin Tybura on 22 July 2023, atUFC Fight Night 224.[40] He won the fight via TKO just over a minute into the first round.[41] With this win, he received his fifthPerformance of the Night bonus award.[42]
On two weeks' notice, Aspinall facedSergei Pavlovich for theInterim UFC Heavyweight Championship on 11 November 2023, atUFC 295 due toJon Jones becoming injured and his fight againstStipe Miocic being cancelled.[43] He won by first-round knockout in a little over a minute and the victory earned him his sixthPerformance of the Night award.[44][45]
Aspinall defended his interim title againstCurtis Blaydes in a rematch on 27 July 2024 atUFC 304.[46] He won the fight by knockout one minute into the first round.[47][48] This fight earned him a $100,000Performance of the Night award.[49]
Aspinall served as the backup fighter for theUFC Heavyweight Championship bout between then current champion Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic on 16 November 2024 atUFC 309.[50]
At the post-fight press conference ofUFC on ABC: Hill vs. Rountree Jr. on 21 June 2025, UFC CEODana White announced thatUFC Heavyweight ChampionJon Jones (also formerUFC Light Heavyweight Champion) had retired from mixed martial arts competition and that Aspinall was promoted as the new undisputed champion as a result.[51]
Aspinall faced former interim championCiryl Gane on 25 October 2025 atUFC 321.[52] During the first round, Gane poked Aspinall in both of his eyes, rendering Aspinall unable to continue.[53] The fight was declared ano contest.[54]
Aspinall was born to parents Tracey and Andy and was raised inAtherton, Greater Manchester.[55] He is married to his Polish wife Justyna with three sons, two of which are twins.[56][57] Aspinall can speak somePolish and says he feels very close toPoland because of his wife and half Polish children.[58]
| 19 matches | 15 wins | 3 losses |
| By knockout | 12 | 1 |
| By submission | 3 | 1 |
| By disqualification | 0 | 1 |
| No contests | 1 | |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NC | 15–3 (1) | Ciryl Gane | NC (accidental eye poke) | UFC 321 | 25 October 2025 | 1 | 4:35 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | Retained theUFC Heavyweight Championship. Accidental eye poke rendered Aspinall unable to continue. |
| Win | 15–3 | Curtis Blaydes | KO (punches) | UFC 304 | 27 July 2024 | 1 | 1:00 | Manchester, England | Defended the interimUFC Heavyweight Championship. Performance of the Night. Promoted to undisputed champion on 21 June 2025. |
| Win | 14–3 | Sergei Pavlovich | KO (punches) | UFC 295 | 11 November 2023 | 1 | 1:09 | New York City, New York, United States | Won the interimUFC Heavyweight Championship. Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 13–3 | Marcin Tybura | TKO (elbow and punches) | UFC Fight Night: Aspinall vs. Tybura | 22 July 2023 | 1 | 1:13 | London, England | Performance of the Night. |
| Loss | 12–3 | Curtis Blaydes | TKO (knee injury) | UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Aspinall | 23 July 2022 | 1 | 0:15 | London, England | |
| Win | 12–2 | Alexander Volkov | Submission (straight armbar) | UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Aspinall | 19 March 2022 | 1 | 3:45 | London, England | Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 11–2 | Serghei Spivac | TKO (elbow and punches) | UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Till | 4 September 2021 | 1 | 2:30 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 10–2 | Andrei Arlovski | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Lewis | 20 February 2021 | 2 | 1:09 | Las Vegas,Nevada, United States | Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 9–2 | Alan Baudot | TKO (elbows and punches) | UFC Fight Night: Moraes vs. Sandhagen | 10 October 2020 | 1 | 1:35 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | |
| Win | 8–2 | Jake Collier | TKO (knee and punches) | UFC on ESPN: Whittaker vs. Till | 26 July 2020 | 1 | 0:45 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 7–2 | Mickael Ben Hamouda | TKO (punches) | Cage Warriors 107 | 28 September 2019 | 1 | 0:56 | Liverpool, England | |
| Win | 6–2 | Sofiane Boukichou | TKO (leg injury) | Cage Warriors 101 | 16 February 2019 | 1 | 1:21 | Liverpool, England | |
| Win | 5–2 | Kamil Bazelak | KO (punch) | Full Contact Contender 16 | 18 June 2016 | 1 | 1:16 | Bolton, England | |
| Loss | 4–2 | Łukasz Parobiec | DQ (illegal downward elbow) | BAMMA 25 | 14 May 2016 | 2 | 3:33 | Birmingham, England | |
| Win | 4–1 | Adrian Ruskac | TKO (punches) | Full Contact Contender 15 | 5 March 2016 | 1 | 1:05 | Bolton, England | |
| Loss | 3–1 | Stuart Austin | Submission (heel hook) | BAMMA 21 | 13 June 2015 | 2 | 3:59 | Birmingham, England | |
| Win | 3–0 | Satisch Jhamai | TKO (punches) | BAMMA 19 | 28 March 2015 | 1 | 0:09 | Blackpool, England | |
| Win | 2–0 | Ricky King | Submission (heel hook) | BAMMA 18 | 21 February 2015 | 1 | 0:49 | Wolverhampton, England | |
| Win | 1–0 | Michał Piszczek | TKO (submission to punches) | MMA Versus UK: Empire Rises | 13 December 2014 | 1 | 0:15 | Manchester, England | Heavyweight debut. |
| Amateur record breakdown | ||
| 9 matches | 9 wins | 0 losses |
| By knockout | 5 | 0 |
| By submission | 3 | 0 |
| By decision | 1 | 0 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 9–0 | Liam Cawley | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | Shinobi War 2 | May 31, 2014 | 1 | 0:43 | Deeside Leisure Centre, Queensferry, Clwyd, Wales | |
| Win | 5–0 | Tom Bankevic | KO (punch) | Full Contact Contender 9 | March 22, 2014 | 1 | 0:14 | Reebok Stadium Premier Suite, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England | |
| Win | 4–0 | Ryan Hennessey | KO (punches) | OMMAC 20 | March 1, 2014 | 1 | 0:06 | Liverpool Olympia, Liverpool, Merseyside, England | |
| Win | 3–0 | Shawn Kenny | Decision (unanimous) | OMMAC 18 | September 8, 2013 | 3 | 3:00 | Liverpool Olympia, Liverpool, Merseyside, England | |
| Win | 2–0 | Kristan Bircher | Submission (arm triangle choke) | OMMAC 16 | March 2, 2013 | 1 | 0:31 | Liverpool Olympia, Liverpool, Merseyside, England | |
| Win | 1–0 | Alan Harper | Submission (brabo choke) | Fight-Stars 3 | May 23, 2010 | 1 | 1:38 | Oceana, Wolverhampton, England |
| 1 fight | 1 win | 0 losses |
|---|---|---|
| By knockout | 1 | 0 |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Tamas Bajzath | KO | 1 (4),1:24 | 24 Jun 2017 | Wythenshawe Forum,Manchester, England |
| No. | Event | Fight | Date | Venue | City | PPV Buys |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | UFC 321 | Aspinall vs.Gane | October 25, 2025 | Etihad Arena | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | Not Disclosed[71] |
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
| Achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | 7thUFC Heavyweight Interim Champion 11 November 2023 – 21 June 2025 | Vacant |
| Preceded by Jon Jones Vacated | 24thUFC Heavyweight Champion 21 June 2025 – present Promoted | Incumbent |
| Men's |
|  | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women's |
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Updated to 9 December 2025 |
Updated to 25 November 2025 |
