Tom Aspinall admits Joaquin Buckley’s viral KO rattled him before stepping into the cage

UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall recently commented on Joaquin Buckley's viral spin-kick knockout over Impa Kasanganay, one of the promotion's most-watched highlights.

In 2020, UFC returned to Abu Dhabi for Marlon Moraes vs. Cory Sandhagen as the headliner. On the undercard, Aspinall took on Alan Baudot, earning a first-round TKO finish.

Although he emerged victorious, the Englishman revealed that he had to witness 'New Mansa's' vicious knockout, which increased his pre-fight nerves. On his YouTube channel, Aspinall reacted to the best kicks in UFC's history and spoke on the American welterweight's iconic knockout, stating:

"Joaquin Buckley, I was actually there for that. This was in Abu Dhabi. I had literally just walked in the building and the first thing I saw was that. Seriously scary stuff watching that the same night when you’re gonna fight. First thing that comes to your mind is please don’t happen to me."

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Check out Tom Aspinall's comments below:

Chael Sonnen weighs in on Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall: "They're losing faith"

The UFC is yet to announce the title unification fight between Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall. Since becoming the heavyweight champion, 'Bones' has often disregarded a fight against the interim strap holder, claiming he wants a substantial paycheck to put his legacy on the line.

Due to the stalling, the Englishman is currently the longest-reigning interim champion in the promotion's history. UFC Hall of Famer Chael Sonnen recently shared his perspective on the heavyweight clash. Speculating that fans might have lost interest in the fight, he said this:

"This fight is losing steam. Now, generally when you get a big fight that people want to see and at the night of Madison Square Garden, I think it was the biggest fight [in] our industry any way you want to do it. I think the biggest fight our industry could produce was Tom [Aspinall] vs. Jon [Jones]."

He continued:

"I will just tell you by the numbers, it is losing steam. Now, my own theory is because the audience isn't getting behind something that they genuinely don't believe that they can ultimately get. I think they're losing faith that the match will happen."

Check out Chael Sonnen's comments below (13:43):

About the author

Sunil holds a Bachelor of Science degree in visual communication. He started his professional career in 2023 and has previously worked with FirstSportz and Levitate Studios, among other organizations.

Sunil was drawn to MMA by Conor McGregor, especially the Irishman’s crossover boxing bout with Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2017. His favorite fighter is Jorge Masvidal for his wild and unorthodox approach.

Surprisingly, ‘The Notorious’ and ‘Gamebred’ do not find a place in his Mt. Rushmore, which includes Chuck Liddell, Anderson Silva, Alex Pereira, Daniel Cormier, and Khabib Nurmagomedov. He feels ONE Championship’s Rodtang Jitmuangnon has the ability to succeed in the UFC due to his power.

Sunil is of the opinion that the UFC is not doing enough to prevent eye pokes and does not mind soccer kicks in MMA.

In his free time, he likes to watch anime and films in general. He’s also a boxing historian, having gotten into the sport watching videos of fighters like Sugar Ray Leonard and Roberto Duran.

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Edited by Sunil Krishnan