Tom Aspinall Keen on Big, Freak Show Fight with Francis Ngannou under Potentially Surprising Ruleset
Tom Aspinall seems intrigued by a clash with Francis Ngannou but it’s not under the combat sports ruleset that many would imagine. This was expressed during a recent meeting with Tommy Fury that was documented by the videography team of the current UFC heavyweight champion.
With the Fury name being a massive surname in the boxing world and considering Aspinall’s history with the acclaimed pugilistic family, there is the broader wonder if Aspinall will pursue opportunities in boxing someday. Also of note, Aspinall’s father made headlines during his son’s latest fight week with some teasing of a future foray into the sweet science. During a video on his YouTube channel, with an excerpt from the video posted to X by @ChampRDS, Aspinall said,
“I won’t try and be a world champion in [boxing]. For me to be like 33 and think I’m gonna win a world title in boxing is unrealistic.”
“I could have a couple freak-show fights, big fights. I wouldn’t mind boxing an MMA fighter. I think [Ngannou] would be good.”
“I’ve got fights in the UFC to do first.”’
Tom Aspinall, Francis Ngannou, and how a mutual opponent fits into things
Tom Aspinall is still on the sidelines following his no contest against Ciryl Gane and the UFC champ’s residual injury issues with his eye will keep him there for the immediate future. It would seem like running it back in a rematch with Gane would be the UK combatant’s first assignment upon returning to the octagon. But the timeline for that remains undefined due to the aforementioned Aspinall injury from Gane’s errant eye poking.
The aforementioned Francis Ngannou has in-cage history with Gane as well and the former’s situation with PFL remains a point of curiosity for many. With Ngannou calling for a desired White House fight with Jon Jones in the Summer of 2026, though quite unlikely considering the broken relationship with the ex-UFC champion and company figurehead Dana White, it could create a compelling series of events whereby an Aspinall vs. Ngannou bout could happen in the octagon.
Imagination and daydreaming in the fight game can be a bit of a fool’s errand though and it remains to be seen what the future holds for this trifecta of heavyweight talent.
