Rico Verhoeven, widely regarded as one of the greatest kickboxers ever, maintains a tight-knit group of training partners when preparing for fights. For the past few years, this inner circle has included UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall.
Although Verhoeven has never competed in mixed martial arts, he has consistently praised Aspinall for his assistance during training camps and offers his support in return whenever the British heavyweight needs it. Even recently, while Aspinall is in a state of uncertainty awaiting a potential fight against Jon Jones, he still helped Verhoeven get ready to defend his GLORY heavyweight title against Artem Vakhitov in the Netherlands.
“It’s a brotherhood,” Verhoeven explained. “We have a really, really small circle. Everyone in the team is like family. The same goes for Hughie and Peter Fury; it’s family. So, they come over and help us even if they don’t have an upcoming fight. It’s the same with Tom. If I don’t have a fight, I go over and help him, and vice versa. We call each other, we pick up for each other, we have each other’s backs, no matter what.”
“I understand that to other people, he’s Tom Aspinall! To me, he’s just Tom. He’s my brother. He’s my friend. I appreciate and love him. He’s the best, the sweetest, and the kindest guy. He’s so humble, so warmhearted. The only thing you can feel is thankful. Thankful that you have these people in your life who are always open to help you. That’s what it is.”
While Verhoeven was days away from his GLORY title defense, Aspinall remains hopeful that the UFC will finalize a matchup against Jon Jones, potentially one of the biggest heavyweight bouts in the promotion`s history. UFC CEO Dana White has expressed confidence in booking Jones vs. Aspinall before the year ends, but a firm date has yet to be announced.
Verhoeven hopes the fight gets confirmed and plans to be right there supporting Aspinall in his preparation to face the athlete many consider the greatest ever in MMA. Despite Jones’ undeniable credentials as a multi-time UFC champion, Verhoeven firmly believes Aspinall possesses the skills to hand Jones his first genuine career loss, and he expects it to happen decisively.
“He’s going to wipe the floor with Jon Jones,” Verhoeven stated confidently. “Jon Jones doesn’t stand a chance against Tom Aspinall. Mark my words. Tom Aspinall is a freaking monster. Both on his feet and on the ground.”
“I truly believe Jon Jones has never faced someone who is that skilled on their feet. On the ground, he’s faced some quite good guys. But on the feet, I think Tom would even perform well in a kickboxing ring. He would be a top competitor, even capable of fighting me. So, I love that.”
Verhoeven credits Aspinall as a crucial part of his training, specifically because the 31-year-old heavyweight approaches striking differently from a traditional kickboxer.
“In the right way, without my words being misinterpreted, he’s awkward,” Verhoeven explained. “Because he’s not a kickboxer, he doesn’t use standard kickboxing combinations, and that makes it challenging. That’s what I mean by awkward in a good way. It makes it difficult.”
“He’s explosive, intelligent, and his fight IQ is high. That’s why I always enjoy having him over and working with him.”
As Aspinall continues building his legacy in the UFC, Verhoeven recently celebrated a remarkable achievement of his own: surpassing 4,000 days as the GLORY heavyweight champion.
He admits he was stunned when he saw that number, finding it surreal that he has held and defended the title for such a long time.
“It’s a very, very long time,” Verhoeven said with a laugh. “I was also blown away. When you’re living it, it just flows, but 4,000 days… Wow, what an accomplishment.”
So, what does he attribute most to his incredible longevity at the sport’s pinnacle?
“For me, it’s just trying to be the best version of myself every time and being my own biggest critic,” Verhoeven shared. “Everyone knows that’s how the whole team operates. It’s how we view the entire fighting game. We just want to improve. We just want to get better. There is always room to improve.”
“If you keep thinking that, if you keep focusing on that specific part, you keep growing, you keep getting better, and one day you find yourself 4,000 days later.”
If he defeated Vakhitov, Verhoeven would add another former champion to his list of victories, showing no signs of slowing down soon.
It’s nearly impossible to dispute Verhoeven’s status as the top kickboxer in the world today, and many already consider him the greatest of all time. While Verhoeven would never bestow that label upon himself, he certainly appreciates the sentiment from others.
“All I can do is be thankful, be grateful,” Verhoeven said. “But as I mentioned, it’s not up to me [to decide if I’m the greatest]. I know that what I’m doing, I’m doing with passion, with love, and I’m having fun while doing it. That’s the most important thing. The only thing you can hope for is that people appreciate what you do. That’s all.”
“But it’s not my place to say, in my opinion, I think I’m the greatest kickboxer ever. Because everybody has different statistics or different ways to categorize their best or the greatest. It’s not up to me. But the moment when people say it, it’s a huge, huge compliment. The only thing you can do is be thankful for it, because what we try to do is try to entertain people.”
