Aspinall vs HWs of 10+ years ago

I really need to see more cage time. He looks elite and very well rounded but he finishes fights so quickly it's hard to get a thorough reading of where he is. For all we know he has bad cardio.
 
Striker Fox said:
Cain was obviously still a green striker in his 5th pro fight against Kongo. Crazy how people always bring this fight up.

It's like judging Alex Gus's grappling in his prime based off how he looked against Phil Davis.
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Cain's striking defense never really improved past that fight. He was always very hittable.
 
Looks invincible but it's truly hard to tell how good he really is, he's such a front runner and just goes for the kill immediately. Interested to see how things go if someone survives a round or 2 with him.
 
You Will Vote For Dreyga said:
Nostalgia fan bois will say Aspinall would lose

But objective observers know Tom nukes them all
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Based on what?????

How does he beat dominant wrestlers like Cain and DC?

I can understand people thinking he could TKO Brock if he gets Brock to shell up. But there is also the possibility Brock immediately takes Tom down and the Englishman never stands back up.

Vs JDS I could see being a 50/50 fight. Both are great strikers with KO power. I would lean towards JDS as he is far more proven. JDS has fought everyone and has beaten a lot of great fighters while Tom really hasn't.

Overeem is a 50/50 fight. I think Reem has far more offensive tools but his chin and defense sometimes fails him.

Werdum has one of the best resumes in all of MMA. He might be slower than Tom but is super crafty and is a dangerous finisher. Never bet against Werdum!

I would probably favor Tom to beat Carwin but that is still always a dangerous fight for anyone.
 
he'd have a good chance against anybody, and would be a betting favorite against most (honest opinion). he is one of the most well rounded HWs ever, has stand up, ground and is athletic on top of it. has GOAT potential written all over him.
 
Big edge to Tom vs Carwin, Brock, and Werdum
Slight edge to Tom over Reem and JDS
Underdog against Cain and DC
 
OldBoy91 said:
Cain is 50/50. Tom is much quicker and more accurate than anybody Cain ever fought, and he was always defensively irresponsible so I can see Aspinall catching him with the 1-2 on the way in and putting him out more often than not. Cain could definitely make Tom have to answer the questions we all still have about his cardio though.

DC- Probably the worst matchup for Aspinall of the bunch. I think he outwrestles Tom pretty easily and throws him around a bit to win a decision.

JDS- Great boxer but doesn't have the speed and footwork. Bad Matchup for JDS. Early finish for Aspinall I think. Tko.

Reem- One of the more difficult fights for Tom due to his dominance in the clinch and his kicking and kneeing game. Still think his chin doesn't hold up though, but could go either way.

Werdum- Struggles badly with Aspinall. So much slower it isn't even funny. Runs into something trying to chase him down and close the distance, similar to the Stipe fight.

Carwin and Brock- Mismatches tbh. Carwin too slow and ploddy even for JDS, Brock would turtle up the first time Aspinall touched him with the 1-2.
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Think you could close the thread after this.
I like a prime Overeem's chances a tiny bit more, like 52/48.
 
Skarsgard said:
Cain got better at his entries, but his striking defense never really improved. He got caught with hard shots multiple times in his career because of it.
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Cain must have an amazing chin to be taking all those hard shots from HWs since he only got dropped one time in his prime, which was against an all time great (prime JDS) when he was hit behind the ear which messed his equilibrium up.

You guys would likely also pick Alex Pereira, Mark Hunt, Roy Nelson, Derick Lewis ect to beat prime Cain because of his striking defense.
 
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This is sherdog so I’m going to say he loses to all of them cause of nostalgia
 
To be honest though its tough to judge because we simply haven't seen a ton of recent Aspinall as his wins have been so quick.

If you looking for weaknesses I spose you could say perhaps he has a bit of the "Rockholds" in that does a lot of defensive upper body movement but perhaps isnt as good at it as he thinks he is? Sergei landed a bit shot on him pretty much right away.
 
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I would love to see 2003 Sergei Kharitonov vs 2024 Aspinall. More than ten years I know but I’m old now.
 
Too early to tell anything, HW division is a joke lately, no dominant fighters at all, many seem average - so we cannot know how good he is. I do not get the hype, not sure what is it based on.

I mean, Francis landed quick KO on older Stipe (after being taught MMA in previous fight), then Gane vs Francis looked like too amateurs fighting, than JJ strangled Gane like a kid. Nothing interesting happening currently. The belt moves around.

Last 2 amazing HWs were DC and Stipe and their time has passed.

Wish Francis stayed more, he had potential to grow from one dimensional fighter into dominant HW.

Let's see more.
 
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I'm not fully sold on Aspinall; he needs to avenge his loss to Blaydes, and I want to see him against a technical striker, like Gane, who won't just stand and trade like Pavlovich did.
 
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