Thomas Paul Aspinall is an English professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is the current Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion. As of 21 November 2023, he is #12 in the UFC men's pound-for-pound rankings.
Aspinall followed his father's footsteps by beginning to train martial arts at the age of seven at the Leigh Self Defence Studio in Wigan, Greater Manchester, where he trained in JuJitsu. After being trained in wrestling and boxing, Aspinall transitioned to Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He has won the British Open in Brazilian jiu-jitsu in all belt classes except black belt.
After his father became the jiu-jitsu instructor of Team Kaobon, Aspinall grew interested in mixed martial arts and transitioned into the sport. In the year after completing school at age 16, Aspinall grew from 5 feet 8 inches (1.73 m) to 6 feet 5 inches (1.96 m), causing intense growing pains.
