Tom Aspinall would rather relinquish his UFC heavyweight title than face a specific top-10 contender.
Aspinall, finally embarking on his reign as the undisputed heavyweight champion, is set to make his first title defense against Ciryl Gane at UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi on October 25th. He was elevated to champion following Jon Jones` retirement announcement.
Should Aspinall emerge victorious against Gane, he will likely have a multitude of challengers. In fact, he highlighted another UFC 321 bout between Jailton Almeida and Alexander Volkov as a probable title eliminator.
However, despite his openness to these challenges, there`s one fighter, widely tipped for a rise in the rankings, whom Aspinall firmly states he will not fight.
Tom Aspinall Refuses to Fight His “Friend” Ante Delija in the UFC
Before shifting his focus to his own upcoming return to action, Aspinall was in attendance supporting a teammate at UFC Paris. Former PFL champion Ante Delija made a spectacular debut, dismantling Marcin Tybura in just over two minutes.
This impressive debut immediately propelled the Croatian fighter into the UFC heavyweight top 10, suggesting he might be only a few wins away from a title shot.
Should such an opportunity arise, Aspinall has no intention of stepping into the octagon against him.
“My friend and training partner (Delija) just entered the UFC, secured his first win, and is now in the top 10,” Aspinall stated on the ShxtsnGigs Podcast.
“He`s potentially two or three wins away from a title shot. If I had never won a title… I would feel like we`d have to fight because that would be my dream. But now that I`ve achieved it, I`d say I`ll vacate it and he can have his moment.”
“I wouldn`t fight him, no chance, absolutely no chance… he`s my guy,” he continued. “To me, some things are more important than money and titles. I`ve won the title, I`ve done that, and I`ve got a few more fights in me before he`s even at that level anyway.”
Tom Aspinall`s Title Defense Precedes Ante Delija`s Second UFC Fight by a Week
Both Aspinall and Delija have been diligently training together behind the scenes, assisting each other in preparing for their respective upcoming fights.
One week after Aspinall`s clash with Gane at UFC 321 in the Middle East, the team`s focus will shift to “Walking Trouble`s” next appearance.
Delija`s second fight is scheduled for UFC Vegas 110, where he will face the No. 6-ranked contender Waldo Cortes-Acosta at the Apex facility.