Where Does Tom Aspinall Train? Who Are the UFC Heavyweight’s Coach and Teammates?

The famed UFC heavyweight Tom Aspinall has put on displays of his well-rounded fighting skills multiple times. A lot of fans may agree that the UK native packs formidable striking skills combined with a high-level ground game. How he finished off his UFC Fight Night 204 rival, Alexander Volkov stands as an example of his superior ground game. But Aspinall turned into an all-out striker to defeat Marcin Tybura. His skills often make the fight fans wonder about the place where he trains.

Looking at the Brit’s awesome prowess, it’s quite apparent that he trains pretty efficiently and has an aptly skilled team helping him. But he’s not associated with any of the noted USA-based training facilities, like American Top Team or American Kickboxing Academy. This may be the reason why a lot of fans are completely unaware of where and with whom Aspinall trains. So, while the UK native is grinding hard for his upcoming fights, let’s learn a bit more about his training team and the facility where he trains.

Who does Tom Aspinall train with?

Fighters generally don’t join famous training facilities like the ATT or AKA right from the beginning of their careers. But most of the time, the class of their rivals keeps getting better as they continue climbing the ladders of success in their careers. Hence, they often feel the need for better training facilities and teams in such situations. This is when most of them tend to join well-reputed training facilities.

‘ChronicleLive’ reports that the 30-year-old usually trains out of ‘Team Kaobon’ which is a martial arts training facility in Liverpool, England. It also reveals that Colin Heron is Aspinall’s head coach. It is the same facility where former UFC star Darren Till used to train. However, like several other fighters, ‘Honey Badger’ has also trained in different facilities for his specific training camps before his fights.

Aspinall had a brief period of training at the famous Warrington-based facility, ‘Cross-Fit Gym’ back in 2023. The head coach of the facility, Phil Shedden, revealed that he and Aspinall’s father had common friends, which led Aspinall to train in his facility in August 2023. A report in July also revealed that he had trained in a Seaham-based training facility named ‘Team Fish Tank’ before his fight against Marcin Tybura. Currently, he is putting a lot of effort into training since his upcoming fight is just a week away. But a lot of fans and MMA pundits might say that he needs to put more effort into the grappling-related parts of his training. 

While the heavyweight fighter’s striking game is pretty amazing, his grappling game is also on par with some of the best in the MMA promotion. It’s all thanks to his extensive training in jiu-jitsu.

What jiu-jitsu belt is Tom Aspinall?

Let’s tackle the elephant in the room right away. Aspinall is actually a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. The interim champion’s skills in ground control were evident with his takedown attempts. Even though he is a better striker, his records show that he has 100% successful takedown attempts. His takedown defense rates are also impressive. Despite his size, the heavyweight is pretty agile.

To add to his legend, ‘Honey Badger’ even opened up a BJJ school by the name, ‘Aspinall Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu’. The institute, founded back in 2005, boasts 60 years of combined training. Needless to say, his black belt has greatly helped find some great grapplers in the fighting world.

Now, as he gets ready to face off against Curtis Blaydes for the second time, he might just need his top-notch striking game as well as his grappling prowess. What are your thoughts on Aspinall’s training? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.