Tom Aspinall has shared intriguing footage of a conversation with UFC legend Daniel Cormier, who appeared to forget that his microphone was still on during their chat.
Aspinall is set to defend his undisputed UFC heavyweight title at UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, where he will face Ciryl Gane.
The 35-year-old Frenchman most recently defeated Alexander Volkov at UFC 310 in December 2024.
Saturday will mark Aspinall's first appearance inside the Octagon since he was promoted to UFC heavyweight champion, following Jon Jones' refusal to fight him.
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Within the UFC there's growing confidence that if Aspinall wins in Abu Dhabi, he could remain at the top of the division for several years.
Former two-division champion Cormier recently admitted that he believes the heavyweight division is weak.
However, he had not planned for those thoughts to become public, as he was still mic'd up following his interview with Aspinall.
The British fighter later published the footage to his YouTube channel, where fans picked up the exchange.
Cormier said: "These matchups in this division, like, do you know what type of f—king run you can go on? It would be crazy.
"You can like change your life. Because I mean, what is it? Jailton Almeida is fighting [Volkov]. Jailton can’t fight.
"[Even if Volkov wins], you beat him in the first round. It could get f*****g crazy."
Cormier, who is now a colour commentator for the UFC continued: "Bro, you’re on the verge of some crazy s**t.
"Keep working hard, though. You gotta keep working hard.
"Things like this don’t come around very often. Right? It’s like when I got to fight Volkan [Oezdemir].
"I had to defend the belt against Volkan Oezdemir one time, man. Did I win the lottery, son?
"They were like, 'Hey, we think we can get you to fight Volkan.' I was like, 'Yes! I’ll take it.'"
The build-up to Saturday's fight has generally been respectful with both men choosing to avoid trash talk.
The matchup has been rumoured for several years, with Aspinall previously suggesting that Gane had turned down the chance to face him multiple times in recent years.
Aspinall heads into the bout as strong favourite - boasting a 15-3 record, while Gane holds a record of 13-2.
Of Aspinall's eight UFC victories, seven have come through a stoppage in the first round, and the other in the second.
Gane's only defeats have come against two of the sport's biggest names - Jones and Francis Ngannou.
Topics: UFC, Tom Aspinall, Daniel Cormier, MMA
James Taylor