Tom Aspinall believes Curtis Blaydes is the most difficult stylistic matchup for him in the entire heavyweight division.
Aspinall is set to defend his interim heavyweight title against Blaydes in the co-main event of UFC 304 in Manchester, England on Saturday night. It serves as a rematch of their 2022 fight, which ended in just 15 seconds due to Aspinall tearing his knee.
Heading into the rematch, Tom Aspinall is a sizeable betting favorite, but the Brit believes Curtis Blaydes poses a lot of problems for him, as he considers ‘Razor’ the toughest stylistic matchup for him.
“Curtis is really good, he is the hardest stylistic matchup in the division for me, and I won’t shy away from that,” Aspinall said on UFC 304 Countdown.
Although Tom Aspinall thinks Curtis Blaydes is the hardest matchup for him, he still has confidence he will get his hand raised at UFC 304. Not only does he expect to get his hand raised, but he plans on making a statement and finishing Blaydes early to prove he’s the real heavyweight champion.
“Defending a world title in Manchester, that is what dreams are made of, mate. I got into this sport to have nights like this. UFC 304, I’m coming in there to finish the fight from the first bell, I want to make a statement by absolutely running through him,” Aspinall added.
If Aspinall does finish Blaydes early at UFC 304 it would be a statement-making performance and show just how good he is. But, it will be easier said than done as Aspinall admits Blaydes is the toughest challenge for him, but if he wins, the hope for the Brit is he can unify the belt next time out to try and become the undisputed champion.
Tom Aspinall is 14-3 as a pro and is coming off a first-round knockout win over Sergei Pavlovich back in November to win the interim title. Aspinall is 7-1 in the UFC with the lone loss coming to Blaydes by injury.
