Tom Aspinall opens up on his son's autism diagnosis and makes honest admission

Tom Aspinall is not just one of the best MMA fighters on the planet but also an inspiration to many, having raised awareness on autism diagnosis.

At UFC 304, Aspinall destroyed Curtis Blaydes as he needed just 60 seconds to put his opponent away, defending his interim UFC heavyweight title in the process.

His stunning victory enhanced his reputation, and he's widely considered the best fighter in the UFC heavyweight division amid Jon Jones' inactivity.

Tom Aspinall celebrates his victory over Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304. Image: Getty

But one of the more poignant moments of last month's event in Manchester, England, was that of Aspinall's candid take on his son's autism diagnosis.

A few days after his showing at UFC 304, the 31-year-old spoke to SPORTbible, where he touched on his son's situation at length.

He wants to use the profile that comes with being a UFC champion to raise awareness of autism.

Asked how testing it has been to deal with his son's autism diagnosis, Aspinall said: "I think being a parent is quite hard in general if you're serious about the job.

"It's just been tough to navigate, and I still don't know how mine and my family's life is gonna look for the next for the rest of our lives, and that's still something that me and my family are kind of struggling with and still adjusting to... How's my son's life gonna look? How's my life gonna look? How's my wife's life? How's his brother's life gonna look? How's his grandparents' life's gonna look? How's the teacher's life going to look? We don't know... we don't, and we still don't have answers at this point.

"You can't give a definitive answer with something like autism or something similar. How they're gonna end up when they're adults? So, we're just playing it day by day to be honest."

The UFC star added: "I'm just trying to raise awareness on diagnosis. That's all I'm trying to do. I don't claim to be like some guru on autism because I'm not... I'm really new to it. But as far as families feeling lost without a diagnosis and struggling to get one, I first-hand know what that feels like so I want to spread as much awareness as that so that more people can get diagnosed. That's the ultimate goal is to not have as many families feeling lost."

Aspinall often calls himself a normal man but if we've learned one thing from his Octagon exploits, he's far from a normal individual. And his courageous endeavour in raising awareness of autism diagnosis is a testament to his character that makes him a true inspiration. He hopes speaking out will help.