UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall has been able to build a perfect training regime around him in England where he only works with other large bodies. His specifically tailored training has been a huge benefit to the Brit but it also doesn’t stop him from travelling from time to time to work with some other specialist partners.
A long-time friend and training partner of his is none other than “The King of Kickboxing”, Rico Verhoeven. The Dutch striker is the long-reigning heavyweight champion in GLORY and with his next title defense scheduled for GLORY Collision 7 on December 7, he recently got some sparring rounds in with one of the best heavyweights in MMA.
Though he didn’t show what could be PPV quality sparring rounds between the two lethal strikers, Aspinall did put up a YouTube video that featured the elite kickboxer. As well as their conversation regarding a potential crossover fight between Verhoeven and Francis Ngannou, the interim heavyweight champion invited him on the channel for a “dead leg challenge” which guests have featured on in the past.
Here, both competitors will take turns throwing leg kicks that start at very low percent power and slowly build. However, usually these guests are not fighters so Aspinall is teaching them the technique and then getting them to do it to him which has little impact on him.
This time around, in his own words, he is the beginner when he’s in the company of Verhoeven who is one of the best leg kickers in the sport. Given that both of them are very effective kickers, they chose to start right from the 70% mark, going up 10% each time for a total of three kicks each.
Though Aspinall is able to take the punishment and dish it back out, Verhoeven seems to be enjoying himself more and more with each kick that he takes. His incredible durability is one of his biggest strengths, especially when it comes to competing in Grand Prix tournaments and it’s clear to see why in this video.
