Tom Aspinall has made a surprise admission about his preparations for UFC 321 this weekend.
Aspinall is set to defend his undisputed UFC heavyweight title against Ciryl Gane on Saturday at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
The Briton has not fought since July 2024 when he knocked out Curtis Blaydes in the first round at UFC 304.
However, he is now the world champion after Jon Jones announced his retirement, without agreeing to a unification bout against Aspinall.
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Gane is looking to become the undisputed UFC champion for the third time, having previously lost to both Francis Ngannou and Jones.
Aspinall enters the fight as the clear favourite, although he revealed to Cormier that he has added weight since his fight last year.
When he fought Blaydes, he weighed 251 lbs, but he admitted he is now 262 lbs.
The news shocked Cormier, who replied: "Get out of here. You usually weigh like 250 right? 253? Why did you put on all that weight?"
Aspinall laughed it off: "I'm a big guy, I'm getting heavier as I'm getting older."
While the extra weight should give him more power, it could also be a disadvantage against someone as athletic as Gane.
The 35-year-old Frenchman is confident his unique style will pose a challenge for the heavyweight champion.
“Tom’s the defending champion," said Gane.
"But he’s never fought someone like me.
“I bring something very different. I’ve got my own very particular style. I think that is something that he is going to have to contend with.”
However, history suggests that Gane will struggle to get through the opening two rounds of the fight.
Seven of Aspinall's eight UFC victories have come through a stoppage in the first round, with the other ending in the second round.
The 32-year-old from Salford also holds the UFC record for shortest average fight time at just two minutes and two seconds.
Despite the high stakes, the build-up to the fight has largely been respectful. However, Gane slammed Aspinall's trademark pre-fight move of putting his hand on the opponent's shoulder.
It is unclear why Aspinall does the move, but some fans have speculated that it is to get an understanding of his or his opponent's reach.
Gane told Full Send MMA: "This is a stupid thing.
"If you want to reach my side, I must put my hand on your shoulder, if he wants to have his range, he needs to put his hand on the wall and he’s gonna have his range.
"Why does he need to put his hand on my shoulder."
Aspinall has since denied he performs the action to test his opponent, telling SPORTbible: "No, it's not to get a gauge on their reach.
"So, maybe he's stupid for thinking it is."
Topics: Tom Aspinall, MMA, Daniel Cormier, UFC, UFC News
James Taylor