"With them two sparring one another on a regular basis, that fear factor becomes a lot smaller" - UFC heavyweight Tom Aspinall gives his take on Gane vs. Ngannou

UFC heavyweight Tom Aspinall features in his first co-main event slot this weekend at UFC Vegas 36. He's set to take short-notice replacement Serghei Spivac.

Aspinall is currently ranked No.13 in the division, whilst Spivac sits one place lower at No.14. A win for either man could potentially propel them into the heavyweight top-10.

Currently sitting at the very top of the UFC heavyweight rankings is the current champion Francis Ngannou, as well as the Interim champion, Ciryl Gane. The two men will likely compete against each other in the near future, and Tom Aspinall has given his thoughts on the potential matchup.

Speaking with Sportskeeda MMA's Andrew Whitelaw, Tom Aspinall first discussed one of the major advantages Francis Ngannou had in many of the fights he's been a part of so far in his journey to the title.

"I think Ngannou has a massive fear factor to the unknown," stated Aspinall. "Obviously, he's a massive guy... He's knocking everybody out and people, it's almost like they get knocked out before they even fight him... They've lost before they fight him."

The unique facet that Ciryl Gane brings to a fight with Ngannou is the fact they're former training partners. Tom Aspinall believes that will take away Ngannou's fear factor and will result in a victory for Gane.

"I think with them two sparring one another on a regular basis, that fear factor becomes a lot smaller when you actually go hands on with someone. I know training and fighting is different. I'm completely aware of that. But if you know how that body feels and how they move and what the punches feel like, then I just think it takes away that fear factor. I do believe Ciryl is a lot more skillful than him to be honest."

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Tom Aspinall on whether he believes he will fight Ciryl Gane one day

Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane have been compared to one another in the past. Both are relatively new to the UFC's heavyweight roster. They also both share a similar style that has a heavy emphasis on movement and technique over the raw power typically associated with heavyweight MMA.

It's therefore unsurprising that there's also been talk about the two men being matched against each other. Aspinall had the following to say on the matter:

"He's very talented. He's a very good guy. But I'm sure we're gonna meet each other soon or later. You have to accept that as a fighter in the UFC, you're gonna fight the other fighters. It doesn't matter when it is. It's just one of those things you have to kinda accept."

You can check out our full exclusive interview with Tom Aspinall ahead of UFC Vegas 36 below: