Tom Aspinall talks about facing his toughest opponent in terms of power.
Having conquered notable fighters like Curtis Blaydes, Sergei Pavlovich, and Alexander Volkov, the interim UFC heavyweight champion has solidified his position as one of the top heavyweights in MMA.
Outside of the Octagon, Aspinall has honed his striking skills by sparring with former boxing world champion Tyson Fury, kickboxing icon Rico Verhoeven, and other high-caliber fighters.
However, it wasn’t a well-known opponent who left the biggest impact.
Tom Aspinall talks about sparring with ‘Big Sexy’
Aspinall highlighted Sean Turner’s exceptional punching power.
Despite Turner, aka ‘Big Sexy,’ having a modest professional record of 12-4 with eight knockouts and a loss to Filip Hrgovic, their sparring session made a memorable impact.
“I’ve sparred with many talented boxers,” Aspinall mentioned in a recent interview. “One of them is Rico Verhoeven, known as one of the best kickboxers whom I have trained with extensively.”
“But there was one sparring partner who caught me off guard—his name was… I can’t remember it exactly, but he’s known as ‘Big Sexy’.”
“Yes, Sean Turner! I’m not sure if he’s still active in boxing, but a few years back, he surprised me. His punches are incredibly powerful; among the hardest hitters I’ve faced.”
“It was unexpected since I didn’t know him. While sparring with knockout artists like Tyson Fury and Joe Joyce, I was prepared for their power. But Turner’s striking caught me off guard, and I thought, ‘Wow! This guy packs serious heat.’”
What Lies Ahead for Tom Aspinall?
Aspinall eyes a potential showdown with Jon Jones for a title unification match.
Following his knockout win over Stipe Miocic, the UFC heavyweight champion seems on track for a clash with Aspinall.
Nevertheless, Jones has shown interest in facing light heavyweight champ Alex Pereira instead.
Despite this, Dana White dismissed the possibility of Jones vs. Pereira post the recent major event.
Aspinall remains hopeful about a future fight with ‘Bones’.
“I’m quite confident it will happen,” he said. “Discussions are underway behind the scenes, and UFC executives seem optimistic.”
“I can’t speak for Jon, but both from my end and the UFC’s perspective, the outlook is positive.”
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