UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall tested himself in the world of CrossFit.
While Aspinall continues to (hopefully) march toward a unification clash with heavyweight titleholder Jon Jones later this year, the beloved Brit is staying busy in the gym and testing himself in new ways. Recently, Aspinall went through his first-ever CrossFit training and offered some insight into how it compares to his rigorous MMA training regimen.
“That was tough… It’s good, I enjoyed it,” Aspinall said on his YouTube channel.
“I still think there are some CrossFitters out there who make it look easy—but honestly, it’s not! It’s similar to my MMA style, constantly pushing and pushing, which is good because it gets your heart rate up and fills your muscles with blood.”
Tom Aspinall teases ‘big news’ regarding his long-awaited title tilt with Jon Jones
It’s been 18 months since Aspinall scored a 69-second KO over Sergei Pavlovich to take the interim heavyweight title back home to the UK. Since then, he’s been lobbying hard for a clash with the division’s top dog, Jon Jones.
Unfortunately, ‘Bones’ has been content to drag his feet on booking the encounter. First, Jones insisted on fighting Stipe Miocic in a heavyweight title fight that put the entire division at a standstill. In the five months since he beat Miocic handily, Jones has continued to be coy about a potential meeting with Aspinall.
With fans becoming impatient, Aspinall tried to quell some of the concern during a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, revealing that he had a productive meeting with UFC officials and that some “big news” should be coming soon.
“We had a nice meal, and we talked everything through,” Aspinall told Helwani. “[UFC CBO] Hunter [Campbell] has always been extremely personable and reasonable with me. I can’t say what he’s like with other people, I don’t know, but with me and my team, he’s been nothing but hospitable and fantastic.
“We had a fantastic meeting. Everything went amazing, and I understand my position now. I understand what the company’s doing now, and you’ve got to stay tuned, my friend. There’s some big news coming.”
