Burly Brit Aims to Become Third British UFC Champion

Tom Aspinall is just days away from potentially making history in the world of UK MMA. The 30-year-old fighter will be vying to become only the third British UFC champion in the main event of UFC 295 at Madison Square Garden in New York this Sunday morning.

Standing in His Way: Dangerous Sergei Pavlovich

Aspinall's path to the interim heavyweight title will not be an easy one. To secure a future showdown against the winner of undisputed champion Jon Jones' rescheduled fight with Stipe Miocic, he must first defeat the formidable Sergei Pavlovich. The Russian wrecking machine, 31, has knocked out his last six opponents in the first round, making him a formidable opponent.

Short Preparation Time Adds to the Challenge

In addition to facing a formidable opponent, Aspinall has had to contend with limited preparation time. With only two weeks to prepare for his first shot at UFC gold, he faces an uphill battle at Madison Square Garden.

A Chance Encounter Leads to Life-Changing Opportunity

Aspinall's shot at UFC glory came about due to an injury to former pound-for-pound king Jon Jones. The call for the potentially life-changing fight came just one day before Aspinall was set to go on a lads' holiday. Despite the unexpected timing, the burly Brit eagerly accepted the offer.

In an interview with TNT Sports, Aspinall recounted the moment he received the call: "I got the call early in the morning, so I was sleeping. And it was off someone really high up in the UFC, not Dana White but someone really high up, who's never called me before."

He continued, "And I could hear my phone vibrating on the side of me like this and I was like, 'That's weird someone ringing me at that time.' So I picked it up and as I picked it up I saw the person's name and then it went off, you know like it stopped ringing. I thought, 'Right, I'm just going to go back to sleep it's 6am, I've got a few hours.'

"And then obviously my mind starts going and as soon as my mind started going, I was like, 'Someone's pulling out of New York here.' I just knew it straight away. So I rung him back and he said, 'Listen, I'm not going to tell you what's happened because it's not for sure yet. I'm going to let you know in the next 24 hours.'

He added, "And I was supposed to be going on holiday the next day. So I said, 'Listen, you're going to have to let me know because I'm going on holiday. I'm going away tomorrow!' Anyway, he rung me back at 4am the following night and he told me what's going on. He said, 'Jon Jones is injured, Stipe doesn't want to fight anybody else bar Jon Jones so you and Big Pavers on MSG.' and I said, 'I'm in.'

It's clear that Aspinall is ready to embrace the challenge and make the most of this unexpected opportunity to etch his name in UK MMA history. Fans will undoubtedly be eagerly watching as Aspinall takes to the octagon at UFC 295.