Rico Verhoeven values his close training partnership with Tom Aspinall, praising their mutual support and Aspinall’s unique fighting style, while preparing for his GLORY title defense and expressing confidence in Aspinall’s potential against Jon Jones, all amidst celebrating his own milestone of over 4,000 days as GLORY heavyweight champion.
Rico Verhoeven likes to keep a tight circle of training partners when prepping for fights. Tom Aspinall has been part of this group for a few years now.
Though Verhoeven is hailed as the world’s top kickboxer, he hasn’t ventured into MMA. Yet, he always praises Aspinall for his support during training camps. He returns the favor whenever the UFC interim heavyweight champ needs him.
Even now, with Aspinall waiting for a potential fight against Jon Jones, he helped Verhoeven prepare to defend his GLORY heavyweight title against Artem Vakhitov in the Netherlands.
“It’s a brotherhood,” Verhoeven shared with MMA Fighting. “Our circle is really small, like family. Same with Hughie Fury and Peter Fury. Even without a fight, they come over and help us.”
He continued, “For others, he’s Tom Aspinall! To me, he’s just Tom. My brother, my friend. I appreciate him. He’s humble and warmhearted.”
As Verhoeven gears up to defend his title, Aspinall remains hopeful for the Jones fight. UFC CEO Dana White insists a deal will happen, but no date yet.
Verhoeven hopes the fight materializes and plans to support Aspinall against Jones, who’s seen as the best in MMA. He believes Aspinall can hand Jones his first legitimate loss.
“He’s going to wipe the floor with Jon Jones,” Verhoeven boldly claimed. “Tom Aspinall is a monster, both on his feet and on the ground.”
Verhoeven credits Aspinall for his unique approach, not being a traditional kickboxer. “He’s awkward in a good way, making it challenging,” Verhoeven noted.
Aspinall’s explosive and smart, with high fight IQ. Verhoeven appreciates working with him. Meanwhile, Verhoeven recently celebrated over 4,000 days as GLORY heavyweight champion.
He was amazed by the milestone. “It’s a long, long ass time,” he laughed. “4,000 days. Wow, what an accomplishment.”
His secret? “Trying to be the best version of me and my own biggest critic,” Verhoeven said. “Always room to improve.”
If he beats Vakhitov, Verhoeven adds another former champ to his résumé. Many see him as the greatest kickboxer ever, though he’s humble about it.
“All I can do is be thankful,” Verhoeven said. “I do this with passion and love. The hope is people appreciate what we do.”
He doesn’t claim to be the greatest, leaving that to others. “It’s a huge compliment when people say it. We try to entertain,” he concluded.