Tom Aspinall became the UFC heavyweight champion after Jon Jones announced his surprise retirement. Even though he had been the interim champion since beating Sergei Pavlovich in 2023, being the undisputed and only champion in the heavyweight division comes with its own pressure, especially when you are about to defend it for the first time.

The 32-year-old Brit is scheduled to lock horns with Ciryl Gane at UFC 321 on Saturday, October 25, 2025, at the Etihad Arena on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Ahead of the heavyweight clash, however, Tom Aspinall appeared on the ShxtsNGigs Podcast, where he opened up about how he turned his fear before fights into fuel.

Tom Aspinall remembers fighting two opponents at once

Speaking to Aspinall, the host of the show, popped the question—does he, too, get nervous before every fight? “Every time,” Aspinall responded quickly! He remembered watching the likes of Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture, and Rampage Jackson, thinking he wouldn’t feel nervous and bask in the glory. However, reality is often stranger than fiction.

“Little did I know, 20 years later every fight gets worse… cuz there’s more at stake,” he admitted. “We got a world title on the line this time. There’s a lot of money. There’s everything’s on the line. There are millions of people watching me. Like it’s so bad.” Yet, Aspinall claimed he has learned to love the pressure. 

He asserted that he has come to peace with the fear. “I’ve really realized that, like fear can just help you so much…,” Aspinall revealed. “I say it all the time, I used to have two fights. I used to have the fight against my opponent and the fight against myself, like against the fear.” He soon realized that he could use this fear to help himself. 

Despite that, fear always follows him to every fight. “Honestly, every time I’m in there I’m getting my hands wrapped and I’m just thinking I would rather be anywhere else apart from here,” Aspinall said during the interview. “But I’ve learned just to deal with it. It’s all normal.” Considering Ciryl Gane’s claims, Aspinall will need all the confidence he can muster. 

Ciryl Gane claims he is ready for Aspinall’s ground game

The 35-year-old Frenchman insists that he will be ready to silence critics who doubt his abilities on the ground. Gane’s weaknesses on the ground were exposed in losses to Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones, but Gane claims those days are behind him. “Sometimes life is a little bit strange because some bad results, and then people think that you’ve never worked on your ground game,” Gane said via a French translator in Paris.

“But believe me, I’ve got a team behind me. My coach Fernand Lopez, we’ve worked on our ground game.” Having recovered from an injury earlier this year, he claims his focus has been sharper than ever before. “Since March, I’ve really been training, giving it my all. I’ve not been training PlayStation or going to the Champions League… I’ve been really training.”

Whether Gane’s training helps him overcome Tom Aspinall is yet to be seen, but one thing is clear: the Brit will enter the Octagon with a heavy burden. Do you think the pressure will get to him?