Tom Aspinall explains his opinion on UFC 314 lightweight highlight: 'It's not as good as I thought'

Tom aspinall awaits possible fight against Jon Jones in the heavyweights. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram

While waiting for the definition of a possible confrontation against the UFC heavyweight champion (up to 120,2 kg), Jon Jones, the interim champion of the category, Tom aspinall, has participated in interviews to give his vision of everything that happens in the world of MMA. From giving his opinion about the defeat de Alex Poatán before Magomed Ankalayev, which cost the Brazilian the light heavyweight title (up to 93kg), until the performance of the other colleagues in the firm.

On April 12th, at UFC 314 in Miami, the lightweight (up to 70,3 kg.) Michael chandler will look to return to the winning column when facing the promising British challenger, Paddy Pimblett, in the co-main event. The matchup promises to be an interesting one, as Chandler is one of the strongest strikers in the division, while Pimblett, who is undefeated in the UFC, has a great striking defense. However, the American's reckless abandonment of striking defense has made him widely considered one of the most exciting fighters in the sport, but has also exposed him to constant criticism.

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Before the UFC 314, Tom aspinall made a scathing assessment of Chandler. The interim heavyweight champion watched the American's fight against Charles of the Bronx No. UFC 309, in November of last year. On that occasion, the Brazilian won by unanimous decision.

“I enjoyed the fight. I was there for [Chandler’s fight against] Charles Oliveira and I had the pleasure of watching both of them up close, watching on TV and watching when you’re 10 feet away are two completely different things. I watched Chandler and I admit Chandler had been out of the Octagon for a while so he might be a little rusty, and he was fighting Charles Oliveira who is one of the big names in the weight class. But to be honest I didn’t rate [Chandler], I thought he looked weird, he wasn’t great, he wasn’t as good as I thought he was from watching him on TV,” Aspinall explained in an interview with 'One on One'.

Aspinall watched the fight between Michael chandler (left) and Charles of the Bronx (dir.) in UFC 309. Photo: Instagram / Charles of the Bronx

While Chandler's fighting style can be criticized, his determination and dedication to the sport cannot be ignored. So much so that before his fight in UFC 314, Chandler revealed that he will 'most likely' miss the birth of his daughter. The 38-year-old fighter and his wife are expecting the baby birth for March 31, however, as the scheduled date for the meeting on April 12 is close, she gave her 'blessing' for her husband not to attend the birth.