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UFC 321: Where do Tom Aspinall's first custom shorts rank among the UFC's best

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Tom Aspinall motivated by pressure to win at UFC 321 (1:19)

Tom Aspinall speaks ahead of his UFC heavyweight title defence against Ciryl Gane at UFC 321. (1:19)

Since Venum became the official kit supplier of the UFC in 2021, taking over from Reebok, we've some impressive customizations of UFC kit.

More often than not fighters have chosen to identify with their roots and heritage, resulting in a wide variety of designs and colour ways.

Tom Aspinall, who will defend his heavyweight title for the first time this weekend against Ciryl Gane, is the latest to get on board with his own special look. Where does it rank among the best personalized kits of the past five years but who else has stood out?

Tom Aspinall at UFC 321

Aspinall's first custom UFC shorts are a showcase of his British pride, ahead of his showdown in Abu Dhabi Riyadh against Cyril Gane. The Union Jack flag dominates the shorts but there's also a reference to his hometown of Manchester, England with the bumble bee graphic. The bee is an emblem to Manchester's past, representing its industrial past, hard work, and community unity.

Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 317

Pantoja's outfit for his fourth men's flyweight title defence against Kai Kara-France in Las Vegas this summer was one of the most eye-popping but slick designs seen in the UFC. The custom shorts were designed with the 35-year-old's Brazilian heritage and Japanese mythology in mind. The Japanese dragons represent power, wisdom, and good fortune. There's also a nod to Brazil, with the waves inspired by the iconic beaches in the country. The black and red colors meanwhile throw to Pantoja's nickname, "The Cannibal".

Alex Pereira at UFC 320

One of the most colourful characters in the organization simply had to have a design to match. Pereira's second custom shorts design held a strong link to his Brazilian Pataxó heritage and roots.

The striking leopard print motif "Poatan" wore while knocking out Magomed Ankalaev within 80 seconds of their October stood was meant to symbolize "power and fearlessness" - two things synonymous with the two-division champion's time in the UFC.

Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 311

One of the most unique designs there has been so far, Dvalishvili's shorts for his first men's bantamweight title defence vs. Umar Nurgomedov in January focused entirely on his Georgian roots. They featured the white and red colors of the Georgian flag, with faint imagery of a Georgian warrior on horseback and a block of text on the rear-right thigh.

An old Georgian phrase donned the back of the shorts, "A glorious death is better than a shameful life".

"I was so happy, so excited for my custom shorts," Dvalishvili said. "It represents me, and it represents Georgia. I love everything about it. Today, I checked the comments on social media, and everybody, even not Georgians, they like it too, which is very good, very nice."

Max Holloway at UFC 300

Being born in Waianae, Hawaii there was only one way Holloway was going for his first custom shorts design. The red and blue floral patterns represented his heritage, with Holloway's father being of Hawaiian descent. It's the sort of pattern you'd expect on a shirt but the former champ took it to the shorts for this design at UFC 300 last year - notably three other fighters on that card had custom shorts including Holloway's opponent Justin Gaethje, Alex Pereira and Zhang Weili.

Islam Mackhaev at UFC 311

When you think of Mackhaev, you think of Dagestan...so it's no surprise how his custom shorts for the final defence of his lightweight belt -- a first-round submission of Renato Moicano -- panned out. The design has an outline of Pabaku, a mountain close to Dagestan and the village where Mackhaev is from. The shorts also feature a dagger - something traditional in Dagestan according Mackhaev -- and a yellow trim.

"I like the shorts. I keep all my shorts. I give my gloves, t-shirts, but shorts, I keep," said Mackhaev, when asked about his design.

Bryce Mitchell at UFC 272

One way or another, Bryce Mitchell was going to get his custom camouflage shorts. Before landing an official design in 2021 the featherweight managed to sneak in a Reebok camo design way back at UFC Fight Night 181.

"I really wanted camo shorts, and I was 100 percent going to wear them, but I figured they wouldn't let me, so I was going to wear them illegally." Mitchell said ahead of the event. It was inevitable then he'd get his Venum design, which were worn at UFC 272 during his loss to Illia Topuria. It was a collaboration with Realtree Camo, a hunting brand, which is a hobby close to Mitchell's heart.