Undisputed heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall calls himself a 'generational talent' after being close to quitting the UFC
Updated 14/10/2025 at 11:46 GMT+1
Tom Aspinall: Road to Undisputed chronicles the rise of the UFC undisputed heavyweight champion - who reveals he almost walked away from MMA after finding himself in a "really dark place" following a serious knee injury. You can watch the inspiring documentary on TNT Sports and discovery+ in the build-up to Aspinall's next fight against Ciryl Gane at UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi on October 25.
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Video credit: TNT Sports
Tom Aspinall says he has become a "generational talent" after fighting his way back from the brink of quitting the UFC three years ago.
The inspiring rise of Aspinall from his modest roots in England to global stardom is chronicled in Tom Aspinall: Road to Undisputed - which you can watch on TNT Sports on October 13 at 22:00 (UK time).
The documentary, which will also be available on discovery+, explores Aspinall’s close bond with his coach and father Andy and reveals the discipline, setbacks and resilience that helped shape a champion.
The darkest night of Aspinall’s career came on July 23, 2022, when he suffered a serious knee injury just 15 seconds into a bout with Curtis Blaydes at London’s O2 Arena.
Reflecting on that time, Aspinall said: "I knew that I had a bad knee years before I knew it was getting worse. I just wanted the fight to be over. I just wanted to blast him out of there as quick as possible and you shouldn’t go into any fight feeling like that.
"I don’t remember much to be honest, it was a bit of a blur. I was in a lot of pain, first of all, but also I was in a lot of emotional pain. I was so disappointed. I felt like I wasted everybody’s time.
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Tom Aspinall
Image credit: Getty Images
"It was [a] reality check for everybody that was on the train. It just epitomises how brutal this game can be," he said.
After a brutal diagnosis of a torn medial collateral ligament, torn cartilage and a stretched anterior cruciate ligament, Aspinall questioned whether he would ever be able to return to the sport.
"There were long, drawn out, bouts of feeling in a really dark place," Aspinall said. "To be honest, before the injury, I was half in the sport and half out. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to carry on.
"I was doing things I shouldn’t have been doing outside the gym, my recovery was non-existent, the training was in a bad situation. There was a lot of things that should’ve been changed," he said.
Aspinall decided to fight back and just a year later he was back in the Octagon, taking on Marcin Tybura in the same venue where he suffered such a painful night 12 months earlier.
"I treated the rehab process like a training camp," he said.
"Rebuilt myself mentally and physically from the ground up. It felt like ‘I’m going to show you I’m serious now’."
It was an emphatic return for Aspinall who - with a flurry of bruising punches - took victory in just 73 seconds.
"That was really the time when I think, not only physically had I hit a new level, but mentally that is when you’ve seen me get to elite status," Aspinall said.
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'I wasn't sure if I wanted to carry on' - Aspinall reveals UFC doubts after knee injury
Video credit: TNT Sports
"I believe what separates great athletes and elite athletes is elite athletes can make really good decisions under a lot of pressure and I didn’t know I could do that.
"You get bigger and bigger fights. You get pushed to a main event and you start fighting ranked guys. Each one of these brings a different challenge and so far, I’ve proved to myself that I can do it.
"I know for a fact that not everybody can do it. I’ve trained with so many guys who are amazing in the gym and then they get to a fight and they just freeze up and can’t do the same. I’m not like that. I think that I’m elite."
After the Tybura comeback win, Aspinall went on to defeat Sergei Pavlovich, before taking revenge on Blaydes in a rematch of the fight which threatened to end his career.
Aspinall has revelled in the prospect of facing "bigger and bigger fights", having already beaten three of the top five contenders in the division, but the one he really wanted never materialised - Jon Jones.
Despite constant campaigning for a showdown, Aspinall was denied the chance to take on the American due to Jones retiring before they came head-to-head - meaning the Brit was upgraded to undisputed heavyweight champion.
"For me, it would’ve been a nice scalp," Aspinall said.
"Jon Jones wanted none of it but there’s nothing I could do about that. If he doesn’t want it, there’s nothing I can do. I wanted to be the UFC heavyweight champion. I am the UFC heavyweight champion. Now, the reign can begin properly."
Aspinall’s first fight in his elevated position will be against Ciryl Gane at UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi on October 25 - live on TNT Sports Box Office and discovery+.
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"I think it’s my toughest fight so far," Aspinall said. "This is the most pressure on me now than there’s ever been before. It’s MMA. Heavyweight MMA. Anybody can lose but I know what I can do and I believe what I can do.
"It’s hard to say out loud without sounding arrogant but I think I’m a generational talent. That’s something that sets me aside from the rest. I’ve dedicated my absolute life to it. Skill for skill, I’m better than anybody else."
Watch Tom Aspinall: Road to Undisputed on TNT Sports and discovery+
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