Leigh Leopards set to sign UFC Fighter Derek Beaumont jokingly claims

Former Wigan Warriors boss and England coach Shaun Wane is among those throwing his support behind Wigan born MMA Fighter Tom Aspinall ahead of his huge UFC Title fight at Maddison Square Garden.

Wigan born like Aspinall, a video of Shaun Wane’s video message to the UFC Fighter has emerged on social media via Wigan Today’s Paul Kendrick.

He said: “Best of luck, f*cking rip into him. We’re Wiganers as well, we’re proud, we never give in, we never take a backwards step and I know you won’t do that.”

Meanwhile, Leigh Leopards owner Derek Beaumont is heading over to New York to watch the fight: “Time to head to New York City to support our very own Tom Aspinall as he fights for the Interim UFC
Title in The Garden let’s get all of Leigh Leopards fans and the rest of Super League and the Rugby League Championships behind him.”

He would later go on to joke that he will sign Aspinall for Leigh should he win: “If Tom wins he said he will retire and play middle for us now what a signing that would be.”

For Aspinall himself, he could not be more excited ahead of what is his dream fight: “I think you’ve got to be in it to win it. And if I’m not there, then I’ve definitely not got a chance. At least on Saturday, I’m going to be there. I’m going to have my shot. And, yeah, I’ll give it my best go. And that’s all I can do.

“I was honestly thinking it might be a dream,” he said of getting the call to fight for the title, “Like, I’m not even joking. I wasn’t sure if I had imagined it or not. I was like, ‘Oh my God! Is this really happening?’

“But I knew the title fight was going to come sooner or later, so, yeah, I was obviously happy to take it. … I’m going to live my dream on Saturday night. There’s nowhere else in the world that I would rather be on Saturday night, other than Madison Square Garden, fighting Sergei Pavlovich.”