Being the heavyweight champion needs to be probably the most chest-thumping expertise doable for a fighter, if for no different purpose than that the title comes with the swaggering nickname “baddest man on the planet.”
That glorifying designation first surfaced extensively in boxing within the late Nineteen Eighties throughout the heavyweight championship reign of Mike Tyson. His aggression, punching energy and spine-chilling demeanor left opponents defeated by intimidation as a lot as fisticuffs. Nobody since has duplicated his fearsome aura in boxing, and the “baddest man” moniker has primarily shifted to MMA, a sport with a broader number of fight engagement than something the Marquess of Queensberry ever envisioned. Simply ask three-weight boxing champion James Toney, who was taken off his toes with ease by Randy Couture inside 18 seconds and overwhelmed down throughout their one-sided 2010 UFC combat.
When an MMA heavyweight positive aspects recognition because the “baddest man on the planet,” it’s typically an outgrowth of the story behind how he gained the championship. Francis Ngannou captured the UFC belt in 2021 by knocking out Stipe Miocic, whose three title defenses established a heavyweight document that also stands. Miocic first gained the title in 2016 by knocking out Fabricio Werdum, who earlier had secured a spot of honor within the sport’s annals by ending two of the best ever, Fedor Emelianenko and Cain Velasquez. Velasquez, whose multifaceted ability set and revving engine made him in contrast to any earlier heavyweight, turned UFC champion in 2010 with an iconic wrecking of the seemingly indestructible Brock Lesnar.
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Distinction these splashy ascents to the highest of the mountain with the unimpeded rise of the present proprietor of the UFC heavyweight belt, Tom Aspinall. Whereas Ngannou, Miocic and plenty of different greats established their supremacy with assertion victories, Aspinall didn’t dethrone a reigning champion to realize the title. The UFC merely elevated him from interim champion to undisputed champ 4 months in the past to fill a emptiness left by the retirement of Jon Jones.
Aspinall will defend the belt for the primary time on Saturday, dealing with third-time title challenger Ciryl Gane at UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (2 p.m. ET on ESPN PPV, prelims at 10 a.m. on ESPN+). However even earlier than the brand new champion steps contained in the Octagon this weekend, right here’s one thing important to find out about him: Aspinall has already established himself as probably the most dominant heavyweight in MMA historical past.
If that sounds untimely and even preposterous, take into account that this isn’t a proclamation that Aspinall (15-3) is the best heavyweight ever. That’s an honor typically bestowed upon Emelianenko, who amassed a 29-fight unbeaten streak that prolonged for practically the whole first decade of the 2000s.
Aspinall will not be MMA’s most achieved heavyweight, both. There’s a powerful argument there for Miocic, who defended the UFC title greater than anybody else and owns the heavyweight document with six title combat wins. Maybe probably the most achieved is Couture, the one fighter to reign thrice as UFC heavyweight champion.
Fedor Emelianenko, left, went undefeated from April 2001 to June 2010. Masashi Hara/Getty Photos
They’re extraordinary heavyweights, each one in every of them, however none sustained dominance the way in which Aspinall has.
Aspinall is 8-1 within the UFC, his solely loss being the results of a freak noncontact damage. He blew out his knee within the opening seconds of a 2022 bout with Curtis Blaydes, and along with being saddled with a 15-second “TKO (Injury)” loss, Aspinall ended up sidelined for a yr. He would step in with Blaydes once more in 2024 and win by knockout in a single minute. That victory fell proper in keeping with the remainder of Aspinall’s UFC résumé, as all however one in every of his eight wins ended within the first spherical, the latest three in 1 minute, 13 seconds or quicker.
In line with ESPN Analysis, Aspinall’s seven first-round wins are probably the most by any fighter in any weight class by means of 9 Octagon appearances within the promotion’s fashionable period (since UFC 28 in 2000).
Another shiny Aspinall statistics:
• He has the shortest common combat time in UFC historical past (2 minutes, 2 seconds).
• He has spent the least time in backside place of any fighter in UFC historical past (1 second).
• His 4.09 knockdowns per quarter-hour of combat time common is probably the most in UFC heavyweight historical past (second-most in any weight class).
• His 8.07 vital strikes landed per minute common is probably the most in UFC heavyweight historical past (third-most in any weight class).
• His vital strike differential (strikes landed minus strikes absorbed) of plus-5.18 per minute is the best in UFC historical past.
Aspinall is dominance personified. Unprecedented dominance.
Emelianenko, for all of his greatness, needed to persevere by means of perilous moments throughout his prolonged unbeaten run, none extra so than in a Satisfaction combat in 2004, when he was suplexed onto his head by Kevin Randleman (earlier than turning issues round for his fifteenth straight win). And when Emelianenko was submitted by Werdum in a 2010 Strikeforce match, it was the primary of three straight defeats. One could be an all-time nice but not dominant on a regular basis.
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Miocic had his ups and downs as properly. He owns the heavyweight title protection document however was knocked out 4 occasions within the Octagon — though Miocic ought to get a go on the final one, towards Jones slightly below a yr in the past, as a result of he’d been retired for 3½ years earlier than returning to the cage as a 42-year-old shadow of his outdated self. Even in his prime, although, Miocic didn’t dominate like Aspinall.
Couture doesn’t have the dominance of Aspinall, both. Nor does Ngannou, Werdum or anybody else. Couture had these three heavyweight reigns but in addition misplaced three heavyweight title bouts. Ngannou is as explosive as Aspinall, if no more so, however in 2018 he took consecutive losses to Miocic and Derrick Lewis. Werdum had unparalleled grappling chops — 12 submissions amongst 24 wins — however misplaced 9 occasions in his profession. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira beat Couture, Werdum, Mark Coleman, Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic and Dan Henderson however misplaced 10 fights. Then there’s Jones, inarguably the best ever at gentle heavyweight, however having competed at heavyweight simply twice, he grades out as an incomplete.
If anybody from MMA’s previous confirmed Aspinall-level supreme dominance, it was Ronda Rousey. She gained her first 12 fights, each one in every of them by end, all however one within the first spherical. The ultimate three fights throughout that untouchable run led to 16, 14 and 34 seconds. However then all of it fell aside for “Rowdy Ronda,” due to Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes.
At heavyweight, the story was a lot the identical with Shane Carwin. He additionally constructed a 12-0 document on quick finishes — in his case, each one in every of them got here in Spherical 1. Carwin was on his approach to including a thirteenth demolition, till Lesnar withstood a first-round beatdown and survived to the horn. When Spherical 2 started, Carwin was in uncharted waters, and Lesnar drowned him. A lot for big-boy dominance.
Some would possibly say Aspinall, like Jones, deserves an incomplete grade. However whereas he has but to make a single protection of the undisputed title, Aspinall did put his interim belt up for grabs as soon as whereas ready (in useless) for Jones to return. He owns a victory over a former UFC heavyweight champion, Andrei Arlovski. And if he defeats Gane on Saturday (as a -425 favourite by ESPN BET), Aspinall may have overwhelmed the 4 UFC heavyweights located proper behind him within the ESPN divisional rankings. That’s a heavy dose of dominance for a profession that feels prefer it’s simply getting began.
At age 32, Aspinall has time to perform rather more and face down any challenges lurking forward. Nobody has slowed his roll but. Will this weekend add one other stellar chapter to a narrative that’s been all his, or will it change the narrative on Tom Aspinall totally?
