Tom Aspinall became the UFC interim heavyweight title champion a few days ago…
And he has dedicated it to his father.
The 30-year-old knocked out Sergei Pavlovich in the very first round of their fight – and was overcome with emotion after the bout:
It’s been a crazy two and a half weeks. He [Pavlovich] is a big scary guy.
I’ve never been as scared in my life as fighting this guy, but you know what?
I’ve got a lot of power too and I believe in myself. I really believe in myself.
Aspinall then went on to credit his father:
This man right here, my father, has worked harder than anybody.
So, this belt right here is dedicated to my father.
Andrew Aspinall quit his job when Tom was only 12 years old, so that his son can develop his BJJ skills.
The father and son used to train together, in the garden, before Andrew opened a BJJ school.
Here’s what Andrew Aspinall had to say about the decision to quit his job, as shared in a Sun interview:
I was a contractor for a long time making good money and then I was an IT manager.
I got offered a redundancy payment that I didn’t have to take, but Tom was very good at Jiu-Jitsu and there weren’t many Jiu-Jitsu schools open.
I just decided to teach Jiu-Jitsu and hoped that Tom at 12, and my other son at 9, would teach Jiu-Jitsu because they’d have a career then.
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