‘It’s the real heavyweight championship’ Dan Hardy on Curtis Blaydes vs. Tom Aspinall
Amid much scrutiny regarding the status of fellow heavyweight champion, Jon Jones, current interim titleholder, Tom Aspinall has been donned as the “real” titleholder of the division ahead of his UFC 304 return this weekend, by compatriot, Dan Hardy.
Aspinall, who struck interim spoils back in November of last year at Madison Square Garden, will look to become the first interim gold holder to successfully defend a crown this weekend since Brazilian star, Renan Barao – taking on Curtis Blaydes in a rematch clash.
Stopping the surge of Russian heavyweight force, Sergei Pavlovich in ‘The Big Apple’ on short-notice last year, Atherton native, Aspinall has been gunning for his chance to battle it out with fellow gold holder, Jones in a long-anticipated title unification showdown.
Tom Aspinall touted as “real” champion at the heavyweight limit
Also hoping to one day share the Octagon with light heavyweight star, Alex Pereira – who himself was the call out from polarizing boxing ace, Jake Paul over the couse of the weekend, Aspinall has been touted as the “real” heavyweight titleholder by UFC alum, Hardy ahead of his rematch with Blaydes.
“Tom (Aspinall) on the feet is going to be a lot quicker than most people that Curtis Blaydes had to deal with,” Dan Hardy told Submission Radio. “And I also think one of the factors as well for Tom is his ability to strike in the clinch very quickly—you know, elbows to knees and vice versa when he’s defending takedowns are going to be really, really useful for him. It’s an interesting test for Tom. I think a lot of people have got their eyes on this as if it’s the real heavyweight championship.”
“There are a few questions to ask around Tom Aspinall,” Hardy said. “We’ve seen various different parts of his game. We know how well-rounded he is, but if we’re breaking mixed martial arts down into three components, if you’ve got the grappling on the floor, you’ve got the wrestling in the middle, and then you’ve got the striking at distance, we know Tom is really good at two aspects of that.
And while Hardy believes Aspinall will likely take the lead in any sort of striking battle with perennial contender Blaydes, the latter holds a trump card in any wrestling scrambles.
“We know that Curtis Blaydes is very good at the wrestling portion—the middle piece, the bit that holds it all together. And you know there’s no doubt that someone with the wrestling experience of Curtis Blaydes is going to be able to get the better of Tom Aspinall in a straight wrestling match.”
Who wins this weekend at UFC 304: Tom Aspinall or Curtis Blaydes?
