Tom Aspinall Defeats Sergei Pavlovic by 1st Round KO for Heavyweight Title at UFC 295

Tom AspinallChris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Tom Aspinall became the new UFC interim heavyweight champion with a first-round knockout win over Sergei Pavlovich in the co-main event of UFC 295 from Madison Square Garden in New York City.

ESPN @espn

Tom Aspinall blossoms into the first heavyweight from England to hold UFC gold at The Garden 🏆🇬🇧#UFC295 pic.twitter.com/3egzgwHquT

In a battle of heavyweight sluggers it shouldn’t have come as a surprise that all it took was one punch for him to claim the crown. Aspinall fired a stinging right hand that put Pavlovich on skates then followed it up with one more down the pipe to earn the finish.

ESPN MMA @espnmma

ANOTHER first round finish for Tom Aspinall 💪 #UFC295 pic.twitter.com/1qDP9BJ5my

After the bout, Aspinall recognized just how wild it was that he took the fight on less than three weeks notice and is now an interim titleholder.

Marc Raimondi @marcraimondi

Aspinall: It’s been a crazy two and a half weeks. If you ever have a chance to do something and you’re scared to do it, you should definitely do it. Because it can pay off. #UFC295

The interim title brings some more legitimacy to a rising star in Aspinall. The 30-year-old has been putting together impressive wins since making his UFC debut in 2020. Coming into this fight he was 6-1 with all six wins coming by way of either knockout or submission.

Aspinall’s only loss in the UFC has a major asterisk. He technically lost to Curtis Blaydes in 15 seconds due to a knee injury.

With the interim belt around his waist, it’s safe to say he’s moved on from that unfortunate result.

Where the division goes from here is going to get interesting. Aspinall started campaigning for a shot at champion Jon Jones even before he won the fight.

“I’d love to fight Jon Jones,” Aspinall told reporters. “I’ve said that all along. It’s not disrespect to Jon Jones. I couldn’t respect him more for what he’s done in the sport. I’d like to fight Jon Jones after this for sure.”

That’s where things get tricky. Even though Aspinall is now the interim champion it doesn’t mean that he’ll get the next shot at Jones.

This date was originally reserved for a heavyweight showdown between current champion Jon Jones and former champion Stipe Miocic. However, Jones was forced to pull out of the bout with a torn pectoral tendon.

Aspinall now has the interim title, but Jones had talked to media about potentially retiring after his bout with Miocic.

Marc Raimondi of ESPN reported that the UFC is still planning on re-booking a fight between Miocic and Jones.

There’s a good chance that fight winds up being the swan song for both Jones and the 41-year-old Miocic. It would mark the end of an era with two older champions putting on their final show.

That would make this fight the dawn of the Aspinall era in the heavyweight division.

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