While the hard-hitting Tom Aspinall now reigns atop the UFC heavyweight division, and is one of the promotion's top stars, it seems the Briton's rise to the top was not all smooth sailing.Aspinall came from humble beginnings, with his martial arts journey beginning in a small home gym his father set up in their garage. In one of the UFC 321 countdown episodes, the heavyweight fighter and his father share a sneak peek at their old training facility, to the excitement of fight fans.The small room, now filled with Aspinall's UFC memorabilia, was where it all began when Aspinall was just eight. During the segment, the 32-year-old fondly recalled how his father trained him in multiple disciplines, including jiu-jitsu, judo and boxing, in what were the early days of mixed martial arts.Aspinall then went on to reminisce about how they used to lay down the mats and set up their modest training equipment in that very space log before he became the king of the UFC heavyweights.Check out Tom Aspinall's old home gym below:As the video started doing the rounds on social media, fight fans quickly flooded the comments section expressing their thoughts and opinions.@TaylerMMA wrote:"So wholesome. [teary eyed emoji]"@The_FightLab chimed in:"Humble beginnings."@Gran_Daddio noted:"That room contains every change in them and their spirits over many years. It holds the essence of who and what they are."@D_Bant88 commented:"Special lad, true champion."Check out a few more responses below:Screenshots courtesy @Home_of_Fight on XTom Aspinall claps back at the criticism on Ciryl GaneWhile Ciryl Gane is set to fight Tom Aspinall for the UFC heavyweight title this weekend, safe to say many are not happy with the Frenchman being granted the opportunity, especially after his lackluster performance against Alexander Volkov in his most recent outing.The heavyweight kingpin, however, has nothing but respect for the No.1 contender and expects 'Bon Gamin' to be a credible challenge come fight night. During a recent interview with Shakil Majouri, Aspinall said:"I think that he should be really well respected for what he's done in his career. He's really, really good. I think just maybe the Jon Jones loss, it being close, and then his last fight with Volkov, where he won, but it didn't look like he won, and then he's getting a title shot. I think people are a little bit sour about that... I respect his game. I respect what he's done in the sport. I respect his team... I know what I'm going into. And, I'm ready for a tough fight if I need to. Hopefully, it won't be tough, but if it needs to be, I'll be ready for it." [2:26 minutes into the interview]