UFC heavyweight Tom Aspinall declared he would “accept a fight right now” as fans eagerly await his return to the octagon.
Aspinall, 29, suffered a serious knee injury just 15 seconds into his main event bout against Curtis Blaydes at Fight Night in London last July.
Now, eight months on, the Salford-born fighter said he feels better than ever and made clear that his return can’t come soon enough.
Embed from Getty Images“I could accept a fight right now. Definitely,” he told the MMA Hour.
“The summertime sounds good, but basically, I’m ready to go. Anytime they want me.
“We’re going to chat to the UFC this weekend [in London]. We’re going to have a few meetings and see who’s available and who wants it, more importantly.”
The MMA star’s record stands at an impressive 12-3, including five-straight victories in the UFC – the sport’s premier promotion – before his freak injury.
Fans were shocked when he crumpled to the ground, clutching his knee, after minimal contact. But Aspinall revealed the problem had burdened him since long before his UFC days.
“For a long time, I was kind of lying to myself about the injury a little bit,” he said.
“When I fought Blaydes, that’s obviously when the knee completely gave out, but I’ve had the bad knee for five or six years.
“I got used to fighting on one leg, as weird as that sounds.
“And now that my leg’s fixed, I’ve got two legs to move around on and I can do things in the gym that I’ve literally not been able to do since way before I was in the UFC.
“We are feeling absolutely on top of the world.”
The UFC returns to the UK on Saturday and will see Birmingham’s Leon Edwards defend his welterweight title against Kamaru Usman.
