Team Kaobon’s Tom Aspinall is set to return in October against Sergey Spivak. Aspinall smashed (literally) his way onto the UFC scene on Fight Island when he knocked Jake Collier out with a standout knockout. Teammate of Darren Till, Aspinall is set to make waves in the heavyweight division with his skills. A legitimate black belt on the ground and slick stand-up skills, he is a problem for anyone in the UFC’s heavyweight division. The most interesting and exciting thing about Tom Aspinall is that he doesn’t move like a heavyweight. His footwork is like no other at heavyweight. Quick hands but with knockout power, Aspinall is a scary prospect.
Debut
Tom Aspinall took on Jake Collier in his UFC debut after having his original debut cancelled in London. What did we learn about Aspinall? Honestly, not a lot. Although Collier had six UFC fights prior to this bout, he’s not a heavyweight. He has fought as low as middleweight in 2016.
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – JULY 26: In this handout image provided by UFC, (L-R) Tom Aspinall of England punches Jake Collier in their heavyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event inside Flash Forum on UFC Fight Island on July 26, 2020 in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Aspinall scored a performance of the night winning knockout of Collier, following a slick combination. What we did learn is that Aspinall can be a real player at heavyweight. Whether the empty arena helped or not, Tom Aspinall seemed cool and calm under the pressure of his debut.
October Opponent
His opponent in October will certainly be a step up in competition. Sergey Spivak is a four-fight UFC veteran, with a record of 2-2. With average stand-up skills and a strong clinch and ground game, Spivak will certainly test Aspinall’s ground game… if it lasts that long. Most recently Spivak went to a decision victory against Carlos Felipe behind closed doors. This will certainly give Tom Aspinall a bigger test than his debut.
Other Fights on the Card
The card will be headlined by Marlon Moraes and Cory Sandhagen in the bantamweight division. We will also see a brilliant featherweight clash between Edson Barboza and Sodiq Yusuff.
We get the return of Thomas Almeida. Once one of the hottest prospects in the bantamweight division, we haven’t seen Almeida since his back to back losses in 2017/2018.
As it stands, the only women’s fight on the card is Tracy Cortez taking on Bae Malecki at bantamweight. These two prospects will be looking to continue their winning runs.
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