Tom Aspinall explains never "going full speed" in his fights ahead of Ciryl Gane title clash at UFC 321

Tom Aspinall recently explained why he never went full tilt in his fights and addressed concerns about him never having fought beyond the second round in his career.

Aspinall is set to throw down against Gane in a heavyweight title fight at UFC 321 this weekend in Abu Dhabi. Given the Englishman's incredible resume and record for having the shortest average fight time in the UFC, it's no surprise that many are expecting him to beat the Frenchman.

Inversely, others have pointed out Aspinall's lack of experience in the latter rounds of a fight and have questioned whether that could negatively affect his chances against Gane.

In a recent interview with Daniel Cormier, Aspinall revealed that he's aware of having to go five rounds and keeps track of his gas tank. Claiming he never goes full speed in his fights, he said:

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"I promise you now, I'm never going full speed in my fights. Never... I'm not going full speed at all. I'm far from it. Every time I’m thinking, 'I gotta hold back, we gotta go five rounds.' I've got that in my mind all the time. So we'll find out."

Dustin Poirier explains not being "sold" on Tom Aspinall yet

Dustin Poirier recently explained why he wasn't on board the Tom Aspinall hype train just yet. The UFC icon believes the Englishman hasn't been tested yet and wanted to see if he had what it took to survive a five-round war.

In an interview with MMA Junkie, Poirier shared his thoughts on Aspinall's resume and said:

"Honestly, man, I'm not sure. Tom Aspinall is good, but everybody is so high on him. What's his longest fight in the UFC? I haven't seen the guy ever in the third round. I've never seen the guy have to fight himself back into a fight. I've never seen him on the stool bleeding... He's been blowing past these guys... He's a great fighter, explosive, skilled, but I've never seen him really tested."

He continued:

"So, until I see him tested and fight himself back in a fight and win, I can't be on the same train as everybody else, like, you know, waving that flag because people are talking like he's the next biggest thing. And he might be, but I'm not sold yet."

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