31-year-old Tom Aspinall once again proved why he is the interim heavyweight champion of the UFC. The hard-hitting Brit took on his old foe Curtis Blaydes in an exciting clash. Last time when the pair met in 2022, ‘Honey Badger’ suffered an injury to his knee resulting in a loss. However, he has now settled the score once and for all after knocking out ‘Razor’ in the first minute.

Aspinall started the round aggressively and landed a brutal left hook which knocked Blaydes out. However, this was not the only tactic he used to ensure he came out on top. The champion also made a few adjustments to his sleep cycle as well.

Tom Aspinall slept just four hours before his UFC 304 fight

The UFC 304 event was scheduled for 3 a.m. BST(10 p.m. ET) with two old rivals going against each other towards the later part of the event. ‘Honey Badger’ was expected to walk in at 4:30 a.m. local time. While speaking to ‘Submission Radio’ the champion made it clear that he was having a lot of problem adjusting his timing. However, it seems that he found a solution that gave him the best opportunity in the fight. Aspinall tactically woke up at 7.00 am on Saturday to allow him to get a nap during the day.

MMA Orbit took to their X account to share the details of the whole plan. The post shared that Aspinall had only slept for four hours and was awake for 22 hours before his fight with Blaydes. The post also mentioned that Aspinall “says he lied in bed for 4 hours.” The 31-year-old further added, “There was nothing that could’ve surprised me tonight because I went through every possible scenario whilst lying in bed.” Sleep or no sleep the interim champion has made a habit of finishing his opponents in the first round. Blaydes entered the fight high on confidence after his emphatic UFC 299 victory. However, the precision and the power of the Brit proved too much to handle for ‘Razor’.

Aspinall’s next target is definitely Jon Jones. The 31-year-old has been trying hard to get the attention of ‘Bones’, but the champion is yet to make a return to the Octagon. In such a complicated situation what will the interim champion do? It seems he has his eyes set on a new target.

Tom Aspinall doesn’t mind facing Stipe Miocic next in his career

Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic were all set to face each other at UFC 295 in the main event. However, an injury to ‘Bones’ derailed the fight. The 36-year-old is on his road towards recovery and is scheduled to face Stipe Miocic later this year. With Aspinall holding the interim belt, he is scheduled to take on the winner of the fight and has a special liking towards Jones. But what happens if Miocic wins the fight? It seems ‘Honey Badger’ is ready to take on the winner of the fight. The 31-year-old said, “Nah, I wanna fight Jon Jones or Stipe.” 

He further pointed out how most fans are taking Miocic not so seriously in his clash against ‘Bones’. ” Let’s not discredit Stipe. I think a lot of people are looking past him, probably maybe sometimes me, to be honest. But whoever wins that one, I’m fighting next,” Aspinall further added.

The 31-year-old has time again proved that he is definitely a threat in the division. His power and speed inside the Octagon is second to none and his battle with Jones will be a treat to watch. Even UFC CEO Dana White heaped praises for the Brit during the post-fight press conference and said, “He is special, he is absolutely, positively special. We obviously expect big things from him.” 

Can Tom Aspinall defeat Jon Jones next in his career to earn the title of G.O.A.T? Let us know in the comments below.