Legendary heavyweight kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven shows his chops in MMA sparring against UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall. As he would catch the British MMA champion off guard, catching him with a surprisingly good double leg takedown on Aspinall.
Now some may view this as a playful spar, which it very much is. However, the Dutch kickboxer Rico Verhoeven is known for having some of the highest fight IQ not just in kickboxing but all of combat sports. So if the Dutchman ever chose to follow a new career in MMA, the heavyweight division would be in serious trouble.
Tom Aspinall has now qualms about taking some licks in training with a fellow champion
Combat sports are known for fighters with massive egos, such as Conor McGregor or, most recently, Ilia Topuria. However, Tom Aspinall is different as he has always carried himself as an esteemed gentleman, and his willingness to look less than glamorous against a kickboxer in Rico, who himself is a very respectable man. Only goes to show that the next generation of fighters is all right.
