Tom Aspinall relishes UFC 295 interim title fight vs. ‘most dangerous guy’ Sergei Pavlovich on short notice

When Tom Aspinall received a phone call from “one of the highest-up people in the UFC” who never contacts him, he knew something big was about to happen. The call came inquiring if Aspinall would be prepared to fight in just under two weeks at UFC 295.

Then, at 4 a.m. on Wednesday, Aspinall received the definitive call: With heavyweight champion Jon Jones injured and unable to compete against Stipe Miocic, the offer was for Aspinall to face fellow top contender Sergei Pavlovich for the interim title in the UFC 295 co-main event on November 11 at Madison Square Garden.

Naturally, Aspinall didn’t hesitate to say yes.

“I got the old middle-of-the-night phone call,” Aspinall revealed. “And they were like, ‘Oh, sorry, I’ll be quick. Just get some sleep.’ I’m like, ‘How the f*ck am I supposed to sleep after you just told me I’m fighting for the heavyweight title?’ Like, I can’t go back to sleep.”

This might not be exactly how Aspinall envisioned his path to UFC success, but it’s the golden opportunity he has long desired since joining the organization in July 2020. Aspinall has been on a dominant run, finishing all six of his victories and suffering only one defeat due to a knee injury in a July 2022 bout against Curtis Blaydes.

After a year-long layoff to recover from the knee injury, Aspinall returned to the octagon in July 2023 and quickly dispatched Marcin Tybura in just 73 seconds. Now, fresh off that win, Aspinall believes he is facing the most dangerous fighter in the UFC in Pavlovich, who has recorded first-round knockouts in each of his past six fights, most recently against Blaydes in April.

“I think that Pavlovich is the most dangerous, to be honest. I think he’s the most dangerous guy in the UFC,” Aspinall stated. “To be honest, it’s f*cking the most dangerous situation you can have – fighting the most dangerous guy in the UFC on two weeks’ notice. But I’m willing to put it all on the line. This is my absolute dream.

“F*cking I’m doing a (Michael) Bisping, aren’t I? Bisping took it on two weeks’ notice. Bisping did it on two weeks’ notice and won against (Luke) Rockhold (at UFC 199), so why can’t I do it?”

While two weeks’ notice for his first shot at UFC gold is less than ideal, Aspinall assures that he has been training diligently and won’t be caught off guard. He acknowledges that he would have liked more time to prepare specifically for Pavlovich, but he’s ready to seize the opportunity.

“I’m a dedicated guy. I’m in the gym anyway,” Aspinall affirmed. “I would’ve liked longer than two weeks, you know what I mean, but you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do. I’ll be ready, no excuses. I’ll be ready to go, and I’m coming to win. I’m not coming to make any excuses or anything like that. The narrative of this fight isn’t gonna be I’ve taken the fight on two weeks’ notice. No, I’m f*cking coming to win.”

For more information on the event, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.

Story originally appeared on MMA Junkie