Tag: Tom Aspinall

UFC Fight Night 224 winner Tom Aspinall: Jon Jones knowing I exist is ‘a win itself’

Tom Aspinall is glad he got UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones’ attention.

LONDON – [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] is glad he got UFC heavyweight champion [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag]’ attention.

Aspinall (13-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC) ran through Marcin Tybura (24-8 MMA, 11-7 UFC) for a first-round TKO Saturday in the UFC Fight Night 224 headliner at The O2.

Aspinall mapped out a plan to fight the winner of Ciryl Gane vs. Serghei Spivac, which headlines UFC Fight Night in Paris on Sept. 2. After that, he’s eyeing Jones, and thinks he has what it takes to beat him. Jones’ response was short, but at least Aspinall knows he was watching.

“Sounds good lol.”

“Jon Jones knows I exist,” Aspinall told reporters at his UFC Fight Night 224 post-fight news conference. “Woo-hoo! That’s a win itself. I’m buzzing with that. What I want to do, and I’ve been saying it all week, is: I want to win my fights going forward, of course. But also, another goal of mine is I want to motivate Jon Jones to stick around and fight me. That is my absolute dream.”

Jones is slated for his first title defense against Stipe Miocic in the UFC 295 headliner on Nov. 11 at Madison Square Garden. No one has been able to solve the Jones puzzle, but Aspinall explains why he thinks he’s the man to do it.

“I think I match up well,” Aspinall said. “It’s a dream fight of mine. I think I’m young and I’m fresh. I’ve not got loads of miles on the clock. I’m big. I can do everything well. I’m fast, I’m strong, I’m heavy, which is unlike a lot of his opponents who he’s fought in the past. I just think I bring something different to him, and I think he knows that, as well.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 224.

UFC Fight Night 224 bonuses: Tom Aspinall earns $50,000 in triumphant return from injury

Check out which fighters earned an extra $50,000 for their performance in London.

The UFC handed out four post-fight bonuses after Saturday’s card, including an award for a finish in the main event.

After UFC Fight Night 224, four fighters picked up an extra $50,000 for their performances in London. Check out the winners below.

UFC Fight Night 224 results: Tom Aspinall runs through Marcin Tybura in under two minutes

It was a year away from the UFC cage for Tom Aspinall, but he didn’t need much time Saturday when he finally returned.

It was a year away from the cage for [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag], but he didn’t need much time Saturday when he finally returned.

In the UFC Fight Night 224 main event, Aspinall (13-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC) defeated [autotag]Marcin Tybura[/autotag] (24-8 MMA, 11-7 UFC) via TKO due to punches at 1:13 of Round 1. The performance was one day shy of the one-year anniversary of Aspinall’s devastating knee injury against Curtis Blaydes in the same building, The O2 in London.

Aspinall received a hero’s welcome as he made his way through the tunnel and toward the cage to face Tybura, a fighter who was 7-1 in eight most recent bouts.

When the action began, Aspinall came out quickly. His hand speed was evident from the start, but not ever more so than when he landed a punch that dropped Tybura to the canvas. Tybura covered up as Aspinall rained down ground-and-pound strikes until the fight was waved off.

With the victory, Aspinall solidifies himself as a top contender, already with wins over Alexander Volkov and Serghei Spivac prior to Saturday’s fight.

After the fight, Aspinall revealed his two-step plan for UFC gold. First, he wants the winner of Ciryl Gane vs. Spivac, which takes place on Sept. 2 in Paris. Then, he wants a shot at UFC gold and its current heavyweight holder, Jon Jones.

Full UFC Fight Night 224 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 224.

‘Title challenger right here’: Twitter reacts to Tom Aspinall’s blitzing TKO of Marcin Tybura at UFC Fight Night 224

The MMA world had plenty to say on Twitter after Tom Aspinall made quick work of Marcin Tybura at UFC Fight Night 224.

The UFC Fight Night 224 main event in London featured a clash of two heavyweight contenders, [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] and [autotag]Marcin Tybura[/autotag].

One day shy of exactly one year to the day he suffered a knee ligament tear, Aspinall returned to the cage in the same arena, The O2. The fight was quick, but a little bit longer than his last outing. This time, Aspinall walked away with a quick TKO victory.

The combat sports community had plenty to say afterward. Check out MMA Twitter reactions below.

Tom Aspinall def. Marcin Tybura at UFC Fight Night 224: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Tom Aspinall’s first-round TKO win over Marcin Tybura at UFC Fight Night 224 at The O2 in London.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag]’s first-round TKO win over [autotag]Marcin Tybura[/autotag] at UFC Fight Night 224 at The O2 in London. (Photos by Per Haljestam, USA TODAY Sports)

UFC Fight Night 224: Tom Aspinall vs. Marcin Tybura odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 224 odds and lines between Tom Aspinall vs. Marcin Tybura with MMA picks, tips and predictions.

In a heavyweight bout in the main event, Tom Aspinall and Marcin Tybura meet Saturday at UFC Fight Night 224 at O2 Arena in London, England. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the UFC Fight Night 224: Aspinall vs. Tybura odds, and make our expert picks and predictions.

The prelims are on ESPN+ at noon ET and the main card is on ESPN+ at 3 p.m. ET.

Watch this card with ESPN+ by signing up here.

Records: Aspinall (12-3-0) | Tybura (24-7-0)

Aspinall is looking to rebound after a 15-second knockout loss to Curtis Blaydes in the main event in July 2022. That quick defeat was his first at the UFC level after 5 consecutive stoppage victories.

Aspinall has never been to past the 3:59 mark of the 2nd round in any of his 15 fights as a professional, and only 1 of his 6 fights at the UFC level has made it out of the opening round.

Tybura takes the walk with a pair of decision victories over Blagoy Ivanov and Alexandr Romanov in his last 2 fights. He is 7-1 across the previous 8 outings, and his lone loss was via unanimous decision against Alexander Volkov at UFC 267 in Oct. 2021.

The Polish-born fighter hasn’t been dropped since consecutive KO/TKO losses in 2019 against Augusto Sakai and Shamil Abdurakhimov.

Aspinall easily outpaces Tybura in significant strikes landed per minute at 7.41-to-3.55 and is much more accurate, landing 67.40% of those strikes to 59.38% for “Tybur”. The Brit is much better in the ground game too, posting an impressive 4.00 takedown average, with 100% accuracy, and a solid 2.00 submission average.

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UFC Fight Night 224: Aspinall vs. Tybura odds

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 7:43 a.m. ET.

  • Fight result (2-way line): Aspinall -500 (bet $500 to win $100) | Tybura +365 (bet $100 to win $365)
  • Over/Under: 1.5 rounds (Over +140 | Under -185)
  • Will the fight go the distance? (Yes +700 | No -2000)

UFC Fight Night 224: Aspinall vs. Tybura picks and predictions

Fight result (2-way line or moneyline)

Betting Aspinall (-500) straight up is not a recommended strategy, as he will cost you 5 times your potential return. That’s just too much risk for not enough reward.

Instead, look to the round betting section instead. The books are expecting a quick finish, and I am, too. ROUND BETTING: ASPINALL IN ROUND 1 (-115) is a solid option, as he’ll be fired up fighting in front of the home crowd and Tybura will be eating a lot of punches early.

Over/Under (O/U)

No (-2000): Fight to go the distance? is perhaps one of the highest numbers I’ve ever seen.

UNDER 1.5 ROUNDS (-185) is a little on the expensive side, but worth playing if you are a little on the conservative side. However, I like ROUND AND METHOD OF VICTORY: ASPINALL BY KO/TKO/DQ IN ROUND 1 (+100) a little better at even money.

Visit MMA Junkie for more fight news and analysis.

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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

Follow Kevin J. Erickson on Twitter. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and us on Facebook.

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UFC free fight: Tom Aspinall shows off hand speed, quickly stopping Serghei Spivac in first-round TKO

Watch Tom Aspinall show off his boxing and hand speed in his first-round TKO of Serghei Spivac.

[autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] has plenty of promise in the UFC’s heavyweight division.

The English fighter has impressed many in his run through the division in the past couple of years. In this impressive start, one of his most convincing wins came against Sergey Spivak back at UFC Fight Night 204 in September 2021. Aspinall showed off his incredible hand speed to quickly put away the Moldovan fighter in less than three minutes.

You can watch Aspinall’s win in the video above.

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Aspinall returns to the octagon this Saturday in the main event of UFC Fight Night 224 at The O2 in London. He takes on veteran Marcin Tybura in a key heavyweight bout.

Aspinall (12-3 MMA, 5-1 UFC) is coming off his first defeat in the octagon, where he suffered a knee injury 15 seconds into his fight with Curtis Blaydes last July in London. Aspinall required surgery and rehab, but he’s now fully fit to compete. Prior to the knee injury, Aspinall was on an eight-fight winning streak.

Tybura (24-7 MMA, 11-6 UFC) is arguably on his best career form. The Polish fighter is 7-1 in his past eight bouts and has defeated notable names such as Ben Rothwell, Greg Hardy, Blagoy Ivanov, Walt Harris and others. His lone defeat came in 2021 against Russia’s Alexander Volkov.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 224.

UFC London preview with Dan Hardy, Farah Hannoun: Tom Aspinall’s key to beating Marcin Tybura

Dan Hardy sees a quick finish as Tom Aspinall’s best route to success vs. Marcin Tybura.

LONDON – [autotag]Dan Hardy[/autotag] sees a quick finish as [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag]’s best route to success vs. [autotag]Marcin Tybura[/autotag].

Aspinall (12-3 MMA, 5-1 UFC) returns from a knee injury to take on Tybura (24-7 MMA, 11-6 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 224 headliner at The O2 in London. The event streams on ESPN+.

Aspinall never has gone past Round 2 and has finished all but one of his UFC wins in the first round. With Tybura’s experience going the distance, Hardy thinks Aspinall will likely have to stop him early.

“As long as this fight goes, the more chance Marcin Tybura has to get into it,” Hardy said. “For me, Tom Aspinall has got to get him out of there first (round), (or) early second round. Otherwise, it’s going to be two big bears wrestling, and that’s where Tybura’s size and experience come into play.”

Hardy is high on Aspinall, and thinks the Brit will be wearing UFC gold in the future.

“If he stops Tybura in the first round, early second round, he can be calling out for anybody in the top five,” Hardy said. “It’s wide open for Tom. The only thing that’s going to work against him is the lack of activity. We’re going to want to see him probably fight two more times before he gets a big opportunity.

“Tom, he’s a young man. He’s determined in his potential, and I think as long as he’s healthy, he’s going to be able to get all the way to the top of this heavyweight division. I think he’s going to win the heavyweight title one day. It wouldn’t surprise me, absolutely, whatsoever because he’s just got everything he needs, and I think we’re going to see a glimpse of that (Saturday) night.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 224.

Tom Aspinall says Tyson Fury asked to help him train for Francis Ngannou, weighs in on boxing match

UFC heavyweight Tom Aspinall could be part of Tyson Fury’s camp leading up to his fight with Francis Ngannou.

LONDON – It looks like [autotag]Tyson Fury[/autotag] could have some UFC presence in his training camp as he gears up to fight Francis Ngannou this fall.

On Thursday, UFC heavyweight contender [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] revealed that he’s been in talks with Fury, and depending on how things shake out for him, he could help the boxing heavyweight champion prepare for Ngannou.

“Yeah, I spoke to him,” Aspinall told reporters, including MMA Junkie, at UFC Fight Night 224 media. “He called me the other day and asked if I would help him to train and stuff. We’ll see how it goes, mate. We’ll see how it all goes. I have a busy schedule myself. We’ll be in touch again after my fight is over with.”

Aspinall (12-3 MMA, 5-1 UFC) takes on Marcin Tybura (24-7 MMA, 11-6 UFC) in the main event of UFC Fight Night 224 at The O2 in London. It’s his first fight since knee surgery from an injury sustained last July fighting Curtis Blaydes.

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Fury vs. Ngannou is set to go down in Saudi Arabia on Oct. 28 in what is scheduled as a 10-round professional boxing match, but Fury’s WBC title won’t be on the line.

Aspinall won’t rule out a win for Ngannou but sees it highly unlikely he beats Fury, who’s regarded as one of the best heavyweight boxers of all time.

“I think Ngannou has a puncher’s chance, but it’s a very, very, very small puncher’s chance,” Aspinall said. “It’s a very slim chance. As someone who’s sparred Tyson a lot and seen Tyson up close sparring a lot and seeing him fight up close, I think that someone with the inexperience of someone like Francis Ngannou it’s going to be really tough.

“Obviously, he punches like an absolute truck. And if you put Francis Ngannou against anybody and tell him that he’s allowed to punch them, he’s got a chance against anybody. But Tyson Fury is a master at what he does, and it’s going to be a tough night for Ngannou.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 224.

UFC Fight Night 224 video: Tom Aspinall sets career high at weigh-ins for return vs. Marcin Tybura

The UFC Fight Night 224 main event is official after Tom Aspinall and Marcin Tybura did their duty on the scale at official weigh-ins.

LONDON – The UFC Fight Night 224 main event is official after [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] and [autotag]Marcin Tybura[/autotag] did their duty on the scale at official weigh-ins.

There was little drama for the heavyweight headliners, because Aspinall (12-3 MMA, 5-1 UFC) and Tybura (24-7 MMA, 11-6 UFC) both comfortably made weight at the UFC host hotel on Friday ahead of their main event clash on Saturday at The O2. The entire card streams on ESPN+.

Aspinall, who returns to competition one year after suffering a significant knee injury, was 258 on the scale, which was the highest mark of his career. The underdog Tybura, meanwhile, registered at 246 pounds.

Check out the video above to see Aspinall and Tybura make weight for UFC Fight Night 224.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 224.