UFC 304 Exclusive: 'Massive for the sport' to have potential British champion in Tom Aspinall, says Dana White
Updated 27/07/2024 at 18:34 GMT+1
Dana White has said it would be "massive for the sport" to have Tom Aspinall as heavyweight champion, before the Brit faces Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304. Speaking ahead of Saturday night's event in Manchester, White also confirmed that the winner of that bout will face the winner of Jon Jones v Stipe Miocic in a huge heavyweight clash. Watch all the action live on TNT Sports 1 and discovery+.
'It's going to be massive' - White on Aspinall potential and 'toughest fight' for Pimblett
Video credit: TNT Sports
It would be “massive for the sport” to have a reigning British champion, suggested Dana White ahead of home favourites Leon Edwards and Tom Aspinall co-headlining Saturday’s UFC 304.
Edwards faces Belal Muhammad in a hotly-anticipated welterweight Championship bout. Interim heavyweight titleholder Aspinall will fight American Curtis Blaydes at Manchester’s Co-op Live, live on TNT Sports 1 and discovery+.
UFC's chief executive praised the development of MMA in the UK and the important role Edwards and Aspinall can play in inspiring more young talent to take up the sport.
“Look at Leon Edwards, look at what he’s done and what he’s accomplished, and now we’re going to find out what Aspinall can do over the next several years,” he said in an interview with TNT Sports. “If you can have a reigning, defending, heavyweight champion of the UFC, born and bred in the UK, it’s going to be massive, not only for the sport and this region but for the UFC as a whole.”
Both co-headline fights are rematches, with Edwards and Muhammad’s fight in 2021 chalked off as a no-contest as the American was injured and couldn’t continue, while Aspinall was injured 15 seconds into his last bout with Blaydes.
The winner of the heavyweight clash will then face the victor between heavyweight champion Jon Jones and another former champion, Stipe Miocic, White confirmed at Thursday’s press conference.
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“I definitely confirmed it, definitely,” he told TNT Sports. “Tom is the interim champion, so whoever walks out of Madison Square Garden the champion would have to face Tom.
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"You’ve got the greatest heavyweight of all time facing off against the greatest mixed martial artist, maybe the greatest fighter in the history of combat sports, facing the winner of Saturday night. It’s all good stuff.”
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White also highlighted another exciting British talent as one to watch on Saturday’s stacked fight card, Paddy ‘the Baddy’ Pimblett, who faces Bobby Green.
“This is a tough fight for him,” White said. “Bobby Green is a very durable, tough guy that pulls off the wins, so this is probably the toughest fight of Paddy’s career. That’s an important one on the card, but this whole card is just stacked with great fights, the list goes on and on.”
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White added that he had “goosebumps” at the atmosphere in the arena for the weigh-ins. “As usual, the UK and the Manchester fans absolutely deliver.
“When we did our first event here in the UK, there was one little gym, we had a couple guys that were training here, maybe 15 guys. And if you look at how much it’s evolved, not just the fighters but the fanbase here, it’s phenomenal. It’s what I’d hope this would be when we first bought the UFC.”
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Fans and fighters alike attending the card will have to deal with a very late start time, with the main card beginning at 3am UK time, to satisfy primetime American audiences.
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“It’s always brutal when we’re out of the country,” White said, adding that managing sleep schedules would be key for the fighters. “It’s definitely a part of the strategy you have to have when you’re coming to these fights. And as far as the fans [go], knowing the UK, these fans are probably going to start drinking at 7, 8 o’clock at night. By the time we get to the main event, it’s going to be a s***show!”
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