Thomas Paul Aspinall (born 11 April 1993) is an English professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is the current UFC Heavyweight Champion. As of 12 May 2026, he is #6 in the UFC men's pound-for-pound rankings. Aspinall is known for his finishing ability, having finished six of his eight UFC wins by the halfway point of the first round.
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Background
Thomas Paul Aspinall was born on 11 April 1993 in Salford, in the Greater Manchester ceremonial county of North West England. He followed his father's footsteps by beginning to train martial arts when he was seven years old at the Leigh Self Defence Studio in Leigh. After being trained in catch wrestling and boxing, Aspinall transitioned to 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.
Mixed martial arts career
Early career
At age 18, Aspinall had his first amateur fight. He posted a record of nine wins and no losses as an amateur. All but one of his wins came via knockout or submission. He made his professional debut at MMA Versus UK and later fought at BAMMA, where he amassed a record of 4 wins and 2 losses. He has also fought at Full Contact Contender in between.
Aspinall signed a five-fight contract with Cage Warriors after a 2.5-year hiatus from professional mixed martial arts. Aspinall was offered a contract by the Ultimate Fighting Championship also, but did not feel ready for the organisation and subsequently turned it down. After two fast finishes in Cage Warriors he eventually signed to the UFC.
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Aspinall was originally scheduled to make his promotional debut against Raphael Pessoa at UFC Fight Night: Woodley vs. Edwards on March 21 2020. However, Pessoa withdrew from the bout citing an injury and was replaced by Jake Collier, but the event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Subsequently, the pairing was left intact and took place on July 25 2020, at UFC on ESPN 14. He won the fight via technical knockout in round one. This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.
Aspinall's second UFC appearance was expected to be against Serghei Spivac at UFC Fight Night: Moraes vs. Sandhagen on October 11 2020. However, Spivak withdrew from the bout for undisclosed reasons and he was replaced by promotional newcomer Alan Baudot. Aspinall won the fight via first-round technical knockout.
Aspinall next faced Andrei Arlovski at UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Lewis on 20 February 2021. He won the fight via a submission in round two. This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.
Aspinall was expected to face Sergei Pavlovich on 4 September 2021, at UFC Fight Night 191. However, Pavlovich was removed from the card in late-August due to alleged visa issues which restricted his ability to travel and was replaced by Serghei Spivac. Aspinall won the fight via technical knockout in round one. The win earned Aspinall his third Performance of the Night bonus award.
Aspinall was scheduled to face Shamil Abdurakhimov on 19 March 2022, at UFC Fight Night 204. However, on 21 January 2022, it was announced that Aspinall would instead face Alexander Volkov. Aspinall won the fight via straight armbar submission in round one. With this win, he received the Performance of the Night award.
Aspinall faced Curtis Blaydes on 23 July 2022, at UFC Fight Night 208. He lost the fight by technical knockout 15 seconds into the first round after being rendered unable to continue due to a knee injury.
After a year off due to his injury, Aspinall returned to face Marcin Tybura on 22 July 2023, at UFC Fight Night 224. He won the fight via TKO just over a minute into the first round. With this win, he received his fifth Performance of the Night bonus award.
Fighting style
Aspinall's fighting style is characterized by aggression, speed, and finishing ability. Aspinall holds the UFC record for shortest average fight time among all fighters, and has the most strikes landed per minute out of any heavyweight fighter. Across his professional career, Aspinall has never been to a decision, and only three of his fights have ever made it to a second round. All but one of Aspinall's professional wins has been by first-round finish. Combat sports analyst Jack Slack described Aspinall's speed as "almost unfathomable in heavyweight MMA." Slack has praised Aspinall's use of false entries to bait an opponent's reaction as well as his effective one-two, but criticized his lack of variety on the feet, reluctance to use his "terrific" body jab, and obvious tendency to hold his chin high.
Personal life
Aspinall was born to parents Tracey and Andy and was raised in Atherton, Greater Manchester. His wife is of Polish descent. He has three sons, two of which are twins. Aspinall speaks minimal Polish and states an affinity to Poland due to his wife and children's Polish background.
Aspinall is a Manchester City supporter due to his son supporting the team. He also has expressed a dream to one day fight at Old Trafford. Aspinall has a YouTube channel.
In 2025, Aspinall became a brand ambassador, along with Alex Pereira and Johnny Walker, as part of the multi-year branding deal between the UFC and Spribe.
Championships and accomplishments
Mixed martial arts
Ultimate Fighting Championship
UFC Heavyweight Champion (One time, Current)
Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion (One time)
One successful title defence
Performance of the Night (Seven times) vs. Jake Collier, Andrei Arlovski, Serghei Spivac, Alexander Volkov, Marcin Tybura, Sergei Pavlovich & Curtis Blaydes
Tied (Donald Cerrone, Ovince Saint Preux, Conor McGregor, Carlos Prates & Song Yadong) for fourth most Performance of the Night awards in UFC history (7)
Tied (Mark Hunt & Travis Browne) for fourth-most post-fight bonuses in UFC Heavyweight division history (7)
Second shortest average fight time in UFC history (2:18) (behind Terrance McKinney)
Fourth most knockdowns per 15 minutes in UFC history (3.27)
Fourth highest number of significant strikes landed per minute in UFC history (7.63)
Highest number of significant strikes landed per minute in UFC Heavyweight division history (7.63)
Third largest striking differential in UFC history (4.01)
Least bottom position time in UFC history (0:01)
Lowest bottom position percentage in UFC history (0.07%)
UFC.com Awards