UFC legend Michael Bisping has likened rising British star Tom Aspinall to one of boxing's legendary icons.
Aspinall is back in the Octagon this weekend at UFC 295 where he will take on Sergei Pavlovich for the interim UFC heavyweight title, albeit on two week's notice.
After returning from a serious knee injury earlier this year with an emphatic first round stoppage win over Marcin Tybura, many are tipping the 30-year-old to challenge for the full UFC heavyweight title at some point 2024, and claiming the interim belt would put him in a prime position to get that opportunity.
When speaking to Betway, Bisping praised Aspinall's career so far and claimed that he is one of the top three fighters in the UFC's heavyweight division.
“Tom’s blown through everybody. I scratched and clawed my way to a title. It was a hard old road and I lost an eye along the way, and all the rest of it, so when I became the champ I was already expired," Bisping said.
"I was already damaged goods. I had one eye for crying out loud. I had bad knees. I had the body of a man that had his butt kicked for 20 years. Whereas Aspinall is smoking everybody and still improving and still getting better.
"He's already leaps and bounds above most people. Apart from Jon Jones and maybe Stipe Miocic, Tom is times better than the rest. He's faster, he's stronger, he's better. He's a better wrestler. He's got great jujitsu. He hits like a truck. He moves like Muhammad Ali. He's humble. He's young. He's in his prime. And he's from Lancashire.”