Tom Aspinall confirms appearance on UFC card in Manchester, says announcement of opponent to come 'very soon'

Britain's Tom Aspinall has revealed that he will be on the card when the UFC comes to Manchester this summer.

Earlier this year, UFC president Dana White said the promotion would be staging a pay-per-view event in the UK in 2024 and confirmed it would be held in Manchester during his press conference ahead of UFC 300.

In a video published on his TikTok, interim UFC heavyweight champion Aspinall said: "I had a meeting with the UFC. It has now been confirmed that I am fighting on UFC Manchester, so I'm back home preparing for that now."

He added: "I've started the early stages of training camp. I'm just waiting for my opponent to accept so stay tuned, keep up with the socials, and keep up with the YouTube channel.

"I'll be announcing it very soon."

Aspinall was last in action when he knocked out Sergei Pavlovich in the first round at UFC 295 to claim the interim heavyweight belt after the showdown between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic was postponed.

The Brit has since called out Jones on several occasions, but the undisputed champion is waiting to take on Miocic in what is being billed as a legacy fight.

That means Aspinall is likely to be defending his interim title against his unnamed opponent, although it is being reported that Curtis Blaydes is the leading contender.

Blaydes has a win over Aspinall on his record, although the fight was hugely impacted by the serious knee injury that left the Brit out of action for a year.

A date for the Manchester card has not yet been announced, although the UFC are reportedly targeting the end of July.

Back in March, White hinted that he also hoped to get British welterweight champion Leon Edwards onto the card.

"I have an English heavyweight champion and lots of other European stars, but two champs now out of England," White told TNT Sports.

"We're going to England, we're coming! I've got great fights lined up for the UK fans, and I'm excited to get back there."

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