"It’s about time that I became a household name"- Tom Aspinall talks about what it means to fight at the O2 arena

Tom Aspinall has revealed what it means for him to fight at the O2 Arena in London, England. The 28-year-old British MMA stalwart is scheduled to face Russia’s Alexander Volkov in a five-round heavyweight bout that will headline the UFC London fight card on March 19th.

Speaking to The Schmo, Tom Aspinall weighed in on the significance of this matchup. It will be his first UFC main event spot and will take place in his native country. Aspinall was asked if he thought that his headlining matchup at UFC London would be his coming-out party and propel him into superstardom. Aspinall responded by stating:

“I think so. I think it’s about time that I became a household name a little bit. You know, I’m not the kind of guy that’s gonna chase the celebrity scene or anything like that – like I see a lot of these other fighters are trying to be celebrities. They’re trying to be like Z-listers. And I’m just not that guy, Schmo. I just do my own thing and get the work done. And I’m happy to build my name through big results and through knocking these guys out.”

Additionally, The Schmo asked Aspinall what he feels his emotions would be when he makes the walk to the octagon at the sold-out O2 Arena. Aspinall replied by suggesting that he doesn’t know what emotions he’ll experience in that situation as he’s never performed in front of 20,000 people before. Nevertheless, he indicated that this is something he wants to do and believes that he can indeed perform.

Watch Tom Aspinall’s conversation with The Schmo in the video below:

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Michael Bisping foresees Tom Aspinall as a future UFC champion

In a recent edition of The MMA Hour, MMA legend Michael Bisping weighed in on the Aspinall-Volkov matchup and picked Aspinall to emerge victorious. ‘The Count’ also emphasized that Aspinall is likely to eventually capture the coveted UFC heavyweight title. Bisping said:

“The one (UK fighter) that I think I can firmly say that will become champion one day is, without a question, Tom Aspinall. He moves like a middleweight. He’s six-foot-six. He’s gigantic. He’s so humble. He’s such a hard worker. He’s a lifelong jiu-jitsu specialist. He’s got incredible striking. And he’s so humble that he does the work; 4-0 in the UFC, four stoppages.”

Francis Ngannou currently holds the UFC heavyweight title. Meanwhile, Volkov holds the No. 6 spot in the official UFC heavyweight rankings, while Aspinall is ranked No. 11. Needless to say, a win over Volkov would tremendously help Aspinall work his way up the rankings en route to a title shot.