Tom Aspinall Enlists Ex-UFC Champ Francis Ngannou’s Coach for Training Camp Ahead of Upcoming Fight

UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall still doesn’t have an opponent scheduled for his next fight. But that hasn’t stopped him from consulting the former UFC heavyweight champ, Francis Ngannou’s coach, Eric Nicksick, to train for his next encounter.

The ‘Xtreme Couture MMA’ head coach recently uploaded a video to his Instagram profile and guess what, Aspinall has already began training with him.

According to reports, Aspinall may be featured on the upcoming UFC 304 card hosted in Manchester, UK. But the lack of a scheduled rival for Aspinall to date has been a bit shocking. While Aspinall has been wanting to fight Jon Jones for the undisputed title, Jones has not been too keen on facing him.

This has put the entire division to a standstill.  But none of that seems to have bothered Nicksick or Aspinall. Both looked completely committed to sharpening the interim champion’s striking skills.

Aspinall’s decision to join Nicksick’s training facility is expected to have a lot of positive improvements in Aspinall’s game. The 44-year-old has guided two UFC stars, Francis Nagnnou and Sean Strickland to the undisputed UFC titles in their respective divisions. But that’s not it either.

There’s another factor why Aspinall moving to Nicksick’s facility is a smart decision.

Is there a lack of grapplers in the UFC heavyweight division?

A look at the current UFC heavyweight roster will indicate that the top-ranked UFC heavyweights are primarily strikers. Hardly anyone except the undisputed champ, Jon Jones, packs a formidable ground game. Ciryl Gane, Sergei Pavlovich, Curtis Blaydes, and most other top UFC heavyweights prefer a stand-and-strike-styled fight over taking their rivals to the ground. 

This is why Aspinall’s decision to join Nicksick appears to be a superb one. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that the 30-year-old already boasts a commendable ground game. Hence, working on his striking along with ‘The Predator’s’ instructor may provide his skills enough sharpening to upgrade his interim gold to the undisputed one.