Tom Aspinall Reflects on Early Career Defeat to Stuart Austin: Lessons Learned

The Englishman, who defeated Sergei Pavlovich in November to become the UFC interim heavyweight champion, spoke candidly with Nordic Bet about the lessons he learnt after an early setback which saw him to lose his first MMA fight via submission.

“I’ve learnt so much,” Aspinall told Nordic Bet, acknowledging the significant impact of his defeat to Austin. “That was a long time ago, and I was a very young guy back then and so inexperienced.”

At the time of his bout against Austin, Aspinall was 21 years old with only a handful of fights under his belt.

Aspinall, who is now 30, admits that his lack of experience played a significant role in the outcome of the fight. “I just had no experience back then after two or three fights in,” he recalls.

“I didn’t know how to control my emotions properly or my energy properly and I didn’t know what to do if the fight wasn’t over in one round.”

“Fighting is a massive emotional rollercoaster, and I didn’t know how to control that,” he admits. “I wasn’t very good in those days, it’s as simple as that, my skills weren’t up to scratch.”

“Now 10 years later, I have learned a ridiculous amount since then,” he reflects. Over the years, Aspinall honed his skills, both physically and mentally, evolving into a formidable force within the UFC heavyweight division.

“Experience is absolutely huge in this sport,” Aspinall emphasizes. “Now, I’ve fought a million times and won at Madison Square Garden, but in those days, a 21-year-old me with two or three fights on my record, I was not at my best.”

“Now, I know how to deal with that,” he asserts, referring to the mental challenges of the sport. “It’s not something I knew how to do back then.”

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Roberto Villa is the CEO, Founder, Executive Writer, Senior Editor of FightBook MMA. Has a passion for Combat Sports and also a podcast host for Sitting Ringside. He’s also a former MMA fighter and Kickboxer.