UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall welcomes fan interaction, as long as one non-negotiable rule isn’t broken.
His crowning may have been delayed for months, but Aspinall can finally call himself the undisputed king of the heavyweights in the UFC.
After Aspinall set an unwanted UFC record for the longest-serving interim champion, a much-awaited unification showdown with Jon Jones finally collapsed for good when Dana White announced the American’s retirement.
The Brit’s rise to the top on MMA’s biggest stage and more recent back-and-forth with a contender for GOAT status has unsurprisingly boosted his prominence. And that fame isn’t all positive.
Tom Aspinall tells fans when not to take pictures of him in public
Aspinall recently discussed his elevation to undisputed status, next steps in the UFC, and more during an interview with Adam Catterall on the One On One YouTube channel.
At one stage, the champ acknowledged the difficulty he has training publicly with his growing legion of supporters. But while selfie requests in the gym might frustrate him, that’s not Aspinall’s biggest gripe with some fans.
“I’m not Taylor Swift…but training publicly is becoming a bit more difficult,” Aspinall said. “Privately is more convenient.
“I absolutely love the fact — like, a lot of people relate to me personally, which is amazing; people’s champ kind of vibes, which is great. But also, when I’m in the gym, I’ve got to train, man.
“People asking for selfies in-between rounds isn’t ideal,” Aspinall added. “When I’m training, I am a bit of a d—, because it’s really important to me.
“The other time I’ll be a d— to you — and this is for anyone watching out there — if I’m with my children and you take a picture without my consent, there might be hands flying. I’ve been close to that a few times. … It’s a horrendous thing to do.”
Tom Aspinall revealed how he knew Jon Jones fight had collapsed
Speaking of public behavior…Jones.
Prior to Jones’ retirement being made official, Aspinall frequently insisted in interviews that the heavyweight champ would not be fighting again.
How did he know? Well, apparently by hearing stories of Jones’ rumored behavior while in Thailand.
“A few weeks ago. Everybody seemed to think that Jon was playing this game of, ‘Let’s make Tom not think I’m giving him the fight, and then I’ll just spring it on him.’ But the MMA community, at the highest level, is a pretty small world,” Aspinall said on The Ariel Helwani Show.
“And I know people who have been out in Thailand, similar times that he was there. And I know people who were around his circle, and I know that from the behavior he’s doing outside the Octagon, that he’s not going to fight anytime soon.”
Jones was originally in Thailand to film a spinoff of The Ultimate Fighter alongside Nate Diaz, which was canceled after the Stockton native and his team brawled with a contestant.