Michael Bisping Calls Out Tom Aspinall for What He Did Just Hours Before UFC 321
Michael Bisping has called out Tom Aspinall for what he did just hours before his first fight as heavyweight champion at UFC 321.
Ahead of Saturday night's UFC, Aspinall did a series of interviews, including a one-to-one with UFC icon Daniel Cormier.
In a recorded conversation before the official interview, Cormier explained that he believes Aspinall could dominate the heavyweight division.
During the chat, the former two-weight world champion suggested Jailton Almeida could not fight ahead of his eliminator with Alexander Volkov at UFC 321.
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In footage released on Aspinall's YouTube channel, Cormier said: "These matchups in this division, like, do you know what type of f*****g 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**king crazy."
Now, former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping has weighed in, saying: "He didn't need to release to that, so he sort of dropped the ball a little bit there."
Ahead of UFC 321, Aspinall's father, Andy, revealed that his son would like to make the move into boxing in the future.
Bisping continued: "His dad was talking about the boxing thing — that after this contract, we're leaving.
"I was like, what are you doing?
"You don’t negotiate like that in public; you speak to them man to man. If you had a loss on Saturday night, good luck getting another title fight."
Aspinall's first fight as the undisputed heavyweight champion ended prematurely at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
After an evenly-matched start, Ciryl Gane accidentally poked Aspinall in both eyes and the Briton was unable to continue.
As the officials ruled the incident to be accidental, the fight was declared a no-contest.
Aspinall was taken to hospital, but the extent of his injuries remains unknown and it is unclear when a potential rematch could take place.
UFC President Dana White said the plan is to book the rematch as soon as possible.
He added: "The rematch is very interesting.
"Right here, right now, being honest – I never do this when it comes to talking about what next fight is going to happen – the rematch is what makes sense."
MMA journalist Nick Peet has suggested UFC 323 on December 6 could be an opportunity for a rematch.
But fans will have to wait for clarity on Aspinall's injuries before any talk of a rematch can accelerate.
Topics: UFC, Tom Aspinall, Daniel Cormier, MMA
James Taylor