History of Tom Aspinall in Timeline

Tom Aspinall is a professional mixed martial artist from England, currently competing in the UFC's Heavyweight division. He holds the UFC Heavyweight Championship and is ranked among the top pound-for-pound fighters in the UFC. Aspinall is known for his impressive finishing rate, securing early finishes in many of his fights. He holds the UFC record for the shortest average fight time.

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Full Timeline Career & Achievements

April 1993: Thomas Paul Aspinall Born

Thomas Paul Aspinall was born in April 1993.

March 2020: Debut Fight Cancellation

In March 2020, Tom Aspinall was originally scheduled to make his promotional debut against Raphael Pessoa at UFC Fight Night: Woodley vs. Edwards, but the event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic after Pessoa withdrew and was replaced by Jake Collier.

July 2020: UFC Debut and Victory

In July 2020, Tom Aspinall made his UFC debut against Jake Collier at UFC on ESPN 14, winning the fight via technical knockout in round one and earning a Performance of the Night award.

October 2020: Victory Against Alan Baudot

In October 2020, Tom Aspinall faced promotional newcomer Alan Baudot at UFC Fight Night: Moraes vs. Sandhagen, winning the fight via first-round technical knockout after Serghei Spivac withdrew from the bout.

February 2021: Victory Against Andrei Arlovski

In February 2021, Tom Aspinall faced Andrei Arlovski at UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Lewis, winning the fight via submission in round two and earning a Performance of the Night award.

September 2021: Victory Against Serghei Spivac

In September 2021, Tom Aspinall faced Serghei Spivac at UFC Fight Night 191, winning the fight via technical knockout in round one after Sergei Pavlovich was removed from the card. This win earned Aspinall his third Performance of the Night bonus award.

January 2022: Change of Opponent

In January 2022, it was announced that Tom Aspinall would face Alexander Volkov instead of Shamil Abdurakhimov at UFC Fight Night 204.

March 2022: Victory Against Alexander Volkov

In March 2022, Tom Aspinall faced Alexander Volkov at UFC Fight Night 204, winning the fight via straight armbar submission in round one and receiving the Performance of the Night award.

July 2022: Loss Against Curtis Blaydes

In July 2022, Tom Aspinall faced Curtis Blaydes at UFC Fight Night 208 and lost the fight by technical knockout 15 seconds into the first round due to a knee injury.

July 2023: Victory Against Marcin Tybura

In July 2023, after a year off due to injury, Tom Aspinall returned to face Marcin Tybura at UFC Fight Night 224 and won the fight via TKO just over a minute into the first round, earning his fifth Performance of the Night bonus award.

November 2023: Interim UFC Heavyweight Championship Win

In November 2023, Tom Aspinall faced Sergei Pavlovich for the Interim UFC Heavyweight Championship at UFC 295, winning by first-round knockout and earning his sixth Performance of the Night award after Jon Jones became injured.

July 2024: Interim Title Defense

In July 2024, Tom Aspinall defended his interim title against Curtis Blaydes in a rematch at UFC 304, winning the fight by knockout one minute into the first round. He earned a $100,000 Performance of the Night award for this fight.

November 2024: Backup Fighter for UFC Heavyweight Championship

In November 2024, Tom Aspinall served as the backup fighter for the UFC Heavyweight Championship bout between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic at UFC 309.

June 2025: Promotion to Undisputed Champion

In June 2025, at the post-fight press conference of UFC on ABC: Hill vs. Rountree Jr., UFC CEO Dana White announced that UFC Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones had retired and that Tom Aspinall was promoted as the new undisputed champion.