UFC president Dana White has been accused of not giving his full attention once again. This time, he couldn’t remember the name of a UFC contender, hilariously referring to him as “England.”
Tom Aspinall had an impressive journey in the UFC. After joining in 2020, the 30-year-old Manchester native defeated 5 opponents in a row, all ending via finishes, making him a notable name in the heavyweight division. Unfortunately, an incident occurred during his latest bout in July of last year against Curtis Blaydes.
During the bout, which was just warming up, Aspinall delivered a kick but fell immediately after, screaming in pain. The bout was officially ruled a technical knockout due to a knee injury.
Now, Aspinall has fully recovered and is set to return to the octagon. He will face Marcin Tybura and headline UFC FN224. The event will take place on July 22 at The O2 Arena in London, England, and UK fans are excited to see the return of heavyweight star Tom Aspinall.
Ahead of the event, UFC head honcho Dana White had an interview with TNT Sports. He discussed various topics, including the upcoming UFC London. However, White made a humorous mistake. When asked about a potential bout between Tom Aspinall and Jon Jones, he forgot Aspinall’s name and casually referred to him as “England.”
“The heavyweight division is super exciting right now. You got Jon Jones as the heavyweight champion. So, obviously, a win for him [Aspinall] is big. Imagine if we could end up with an… you know… England vs Jon Jones fight,” said White.
With over 500 UFC athletes currently, it’s understandable that White may not know all their names. However, he should at least pay attention to the athletes who are going to compete in an upcoming event, especially if they are headlining.
This wasn’t the first time White forgot the names of his athletes. Back in February, he failed to remember the name of UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev ahead of his bout against Alexander Volkanovski.
Ezra Samuel is a passionate freelance writer with a particular love for covering MMA news. His interest in the sport dates back to his college days, and he has since established himself as a respected voice in the MMA community. Over the years, Ezra has contributed his writing to a variety of digital outlets, including the popular site calfkicker.