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TOM ASPINALL arguably became ‘The Baddest Man on the Planet’ last weekend – but he’s now back to being the ‘Daddest Man’.
The soft-spoken heavyweight wrote his name into the history books at UFC 295 last Sunday morning in front of a sold-out crowd at Madison Square Garden.
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GETTY
GETTY
INSTAGRAM@TOMASPINALLOFFICIALAspinall, on less than two weeks’ notice, knocked out Russian wrecking machine Sergei Pavlovich in 69 seconds to become interim heavyweight champion
An emotional Aspinall was on cloud nine after conquering The Big Apple and becoming only the third Brit to win a belt in MMA‘s top promotion.
But the dad of three was well and truly brought back down to Earth this week by the school run.
The 30-year-old told SunSport: “I’ve been out a few times and done a couple of school runs and filled my car up with petrol. That’s the only time I’ve been out really.”
Aspinall was already somewhat of a local celeb in Wigan before his historic victory at MSG, which has catapulted him further into the limelight.
He said: “There is definitely a lot more eyes on me than there were before.
“A lot of people coming over. I think just everyone is happy, especially being a local guy.
“I think people are just happy to see a local guy being a world champion.
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GETTY“It’s really nice, it’s really nice support from people. I really appreciate it.”
The spotlight is something Aspinall never craved when he began his mixed martial arts journey at the tender age of eight.
So much so that he made a concerted effort to insulate himself from the post-fight noise following his stunning stateside title triumph.
He revealed: “Since I’ve been home, I’ve actually made a conscious effort just to have a day at home. Not seeing anybody and trying to stay off my phone.
“Because it just gets a little overwhelming for me, especially after this one.”
A historic unification fight with undisputed champion Jon Jones – a man he’s long looked up to – is now within touching distance for Aspinall.
Aspinall hopes his demolition of Pavlovich will have lit a competitive fire under Jones, who plans to retire after his rescheduled showdown with Stipe Miocic next summer.
And he’d be left with a bitter taste in his mouth if he missed out on a fight with the former pound-for-pound king and the consensus ‘GOAT’.
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GETTYThe Brazilian jiu-jitsu blackbelt told SunSport: “It would sting a little as I’d love that fight.”
“Becoming the first man to hand Jones a legitimate defeat, however, isn’t the be-all and end-all for Aspinall.
“I would absolutely love that fight. Is it gonna define my overall career? No.
“But, would it be nice to take the fight, have that experience and fight someone who’s considered the greatest of all time? Absolutely.”
Aspinall got his shot at interim UFC gold as a result of Jones withdrawing from his clash with Miocic with a torn pec muscle.
UFC CEO Dana White has no intention of scrapping his summer plans for Jones to fight Miocic for a unification fight with Aspinall, meaning the Brit will likely have to defend his interim crown.
Aspinall is all too aware of that fact, but that’s not stopping him from dreaming of fighting ‘Bones’ next.
He said: “Like I would love that fight more than any other fight at this point. So that’s what I’m aiming for right now.”
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