Mar 22, 2025; London, England, United Kingdom; Tom Aspinall, UFC Heavyweight fighter, watches as Marcin Tybura (red gloves) fights against Mick Parkin (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at O2 Arena. Mandatory Credit: Peter van den Berg-Imagn Images

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Tom Aspinall Names His Favorite UFC Fighter to Watch, And It’s All About His Weird Style!

The heavyweight champ admits he's fascinated by the awkward yet effective approach of a fellow UFC standout!

Tom Aspinall has seen it all in the heavyweight division. The British powerhouse has been climbing the UFC ladder for years, watching fighters come and go while perfecting his own craft. He’s faced grapplers who want to squeeze the life out of him and strikers who throw bombs. But when you’ve been around the fight game as long as Aspinall has, you start appreciating the weird stuff more than the textbook techniques.

The newly crowned heavyweight champion knows what makes a fighter special isn’t always the perfect form or flawless execution. Sometimes it’s the guys who throw the rulebook out the window and create their own chaos that catch attention. Aspinall recently got elevated to full champion status after Jon Jones decided to hang up his gloves earlier than expected. Now he’s preparing for his title defense against Ciryl Gane in Abu Dhabi, but he still finds time to geek out over other fighters who bring something completely different to the table.

Tom Aspinall Reveals His Favourite Fighter

When Aspinall talked about his favorite fighter to watch, he didn’t pick someone from his own division or even someone with a similar style. Instead, he went straight to middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis, and his reasoning is absolutely perfect. The South African fighter has been driving MMA analysts crazy since he started his championship run, and Aspinall loves every confusing minute of it.

Speaking on his YouTube channel while talking to Paddy Pimblett, Aspinall broke down exactly why Du Plessis fascinated him so much. The heavyweight champ admitted that he watched Du Plessis fight and felts completely lost trying to figure out what’s happening. Du Plessis will throw a head kick and immediately shoot for a takedown in ways that make no sense on paper but somehow work perfectly in practice. It’s like watching someone play chess by their own rules and still winning every game.

“I love his style, I think he is the most interesting guy to watch in the UFC. Because I watch him and he doesn’t make sense for me, I can’t see what he is doing, he’ll do like a head kick into a low single, and I’m like ‘What’!”

This unpredictable style has carried Du Plessis through some incredible fights, including his split decision victory over Sean Strickland that earned him the belt. He doesn’t follow the traditional MMA playbook that most fighters study religiously. Instead, he creates his own combinations and transitions that leave opponents guessing and fans scratching their heads. Aspinall appreciates this approach because it shows there’s more than one way to succeed at the highest level of the sport!

(Image Credit: Peter van den Berg – Imagn Images)

Dricus Du Plessis

Tom Aspinall

Zaid Quraishi

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I am a dedicated MMA and Boxing content writer at The Playoffs. I was instantly hooked on MMA after watching the fight between Lyoto Machida vs. Gegard Mousasi back in 2014, and since then, i have been an avid writer with a deep love for the sport and its techniques, providing readers with a thorough understanding of the sport. My favorite aspect of working at The Playoffs is the creative freedom it provides. The diverse range of topics, from listicles and SEO to news articles, keeps me engaged and motivates me to continuously improve my skills! I aim to capture the excitement of the combat sports world in my writing, acting as the middleman between fighters and their die-hard fans. It is kind of like a referee, but with words!