Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
MMA Junkie fight analyst Dan Tom takes a closer look at the UFC London main event between heavyweights Tom Aspinall and Marcin Tybura.
MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom breaks down the UFC’s top bouts. Today, we look at the main event for UFC Fight Night 224.
UFC Fight Night 224 takes place Saturday at The O2 in London. The event streams on ESPN+.
Tom Aspinall plans on getting on Jon Jones’ radar after UFC Fight Night 224.
LONDON – [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] plans on getting on [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag]’ radar after UFC Fight Night 224.
Aspinall (12-3 MMA, 5-1 UFC) returns from a knee injury when he takes on Marcin Tybura (24-7 MMA, 11-6 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 224 main event at The O2 in London. The event streams on ESPN+.
Heavyweight champion Jones is booked to face former champion Stipe Miocic for his first title defense at UFC 295 in November, and previously has hinted that a win could signal the end of his career. Aspinall hopes he gets his chance to fight Jones, but knows he has to put on a performance that captures his attention.
“That’s my dream fight,” Aspinall told reporters at Thursday’s UFC Fight Night 224 media day. “My goal in the future moving forward is not only to win, but I want to excite Jon Jones. I want him to look at me and think (I’m a good opponent). I keep saying it in interviews and stuff, but at this point he probably doesn’t know who I am.
“He probably doesn’t, and that’s fine. But I want him to watch me fight in the next few fights and think, ‘I need to stick around for this guy.’ I want him to look at me and think, ‘I need to test myself against this guy’ and be excited about guys like me coming through and want to take that challenge.”
Despite seeing his winning streak snapped by Curtis Blaydes due to his knee injury a year ago, Aspinall’s momentum doesn’t seem to have faltered. According to BetMGM, Aspinall is a big 5-1 favorite, even if he isn’t sure why Tybura is being underestimated.
“He does a lot of things well, and I don’t understand why people are counting him out because he’s won seven of his last eight in the rankings as a heavyweight,” Aspinall said. “That’s a pretty good record, if you ask me, and he’s very durable. He doesn’t quit, which is pretty rare for a heavyweight. Usually when heavyweights start to get a little bit tired, they start to look for a way out – and he definitely doesn’t. He’s got loads and loads of experience, and I’ve taken him extremely, extremely seriously.”
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 224.
Marcin Tybura sees Tom Aspinall as the sternest test of his career in the UFC Fight Night 224 main event in London.
LONDON – [autotag]Marcin Tybura[/autotag] sees [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] as the sternest test of his career.
Tybura (24-7 MMA, 11-6 UFC) meets Aspinall (12-3 MMA, 5-1 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 224 headliner at The O2 in London. The event streams on ESPN+.
Tybura has fought the likes of former heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum, former title challenger Derrick Lewis and former champ Andrei Arlovski, but sees rising contender Aspinall as his biggest threat yet.
“Absolutely, yeah,” Tybura told reporters at Thursday’s UFC Fight Night 224 media day. “No doubt, he’s my toughest opponent in my career.”
Aspinall is heading into his third straight main event, but has never gone past Round 2. Tybura wonders how Aspinall will do in the championship rounds, but isn’t banking on the fight getting there.
“The key is, for sure, to drag him into deep waters,” Tybura said. “I don’t know about going to the further rounds – it’s something unknown for sure, how Tom will look like in the third, fourth or fifth round.
“But I’m not sticking to the plan that he will get tired and I will finish him. I just want to go hard right from the beginning, because if I want to make him tired, I have to get tired, too, and I don’t want to just stay there and wait for him to get tired.”
Tybura sees a win giving him Aspinall’s spot in the UFC’s top-five heavyweight rankings, but knows he’ll likely have to win one more before he gets his first shot at gold.
“I’m hoping it puts me in the top five,” Tybura said. “But probably I will get another fight to get the title fight. I look at it realistically, so I will probably need another fight to get the chance at the belt.”
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 224.
Check out which veterans of the UFC are in combat sports action across the globe this weekend.
This week, the UFC heads across the pond for UFC Fight Night 224 in London.
The event at the O2 Arena features a heavyweight tilt between [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] and [autotag]Marcin Tybura[/autotag].
Elsewhere, many other combat sports events are taking place that feature a number of familiar names that have competed under the UFC banner.
Check out which veterans of the global MMA leader are competing in MMA and boxing this week from July 21-22.
Check out the names and details about their bouts below.
Upcoming event information from Tapology.
Check out the numbers behind UFC Fight Night 224 in London where Paul Craig brings 205-pound records into his middleweight debut.
The UFC returns to London for the second time this year Saturday with UFC Fight Night 224, which takes place at The O2 with a card that streams entirely on ESPN+.
A matchup of ranked heavyweights serves as the main event. After suffering a blown-out knee against Curtis Blaydes last summer, England’s own [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] (12-3 MMA, 5-1 UFC) returns to action for another headlining act, this time against [autotag]Marcin Tybura[/autotag] (24-7 MMA, 11-6 UFC).
For the numbers behind the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts about UFC Fight Night 224.
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Do you agree with Tom Aspinall’s assessment of a potential boxing match between Francis Ngannou and Deontay Wilder?
UFC heavyweight contender [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] believes [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag]’s best chance against a top-ranked boxer would be against [autotag]Deontay Wilder[/autotag].
Former UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou last month signed a deal with PFL that gives him the flexibility to box. “The Predator” said he plans on boxing first, then competing in MMA in mid-2024.
Ngannou has angled for boxing matches with Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, and Wilder, who previously made a two-fight proposition – a boxing match, then an MMA fight. Out of those options for Ngannou, Aspinall thinks Wilder is the best one.
“I would love to see him and Wilder, because it’s just two massive f*cking guys who can just punch holes in walls,” Aspinall said in an interview with JN Media UK. “It’s ridiculous. I would love to see that. Boxing is a funny, old game, isn’t it? It’s a funny game. No one wants to fight each other. It’s very bizarre. And if they do, they want 20 million (dollars) for it, so it’s ridiculous. I would definitely be tuning in for that. Ngannou and Wilder, that would be excellent.”
Based on skill and defensive ability, Aspinall would rank former WBC heavyweight champ Wilder the lowest among the elite-level boxers.
“I think if there was anybody he (Ngannou) could beat, it would be Wilder,” Aspinall said. “Wilder is – I don’t wanna slag the guy off because he’s one of the hardest punches ever. But as far as actual boxing ability, his level is way lower than someone like an (Oleksandr) Usyk or a Tyson Fury or somebody like that.
“But the guy’s punching power is absolutely off the chart. It’s absolutely ridiculous, out of this world. But I think he’s quite hittable, and his fight IQ doesn’t seem to be great… If there’s any of them he (Ngannou) could beat, it would definitely be Wilder.”
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Tom Aspinall says his motivation to capture the UFC heavyweight title is off the charts ahead of his return from knee surgery.
UFC heavyweight contender [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] is preparing to make his second consecutive walk to the O2 Arena for a marquee bout, but he says this time a completely different version of himself will be inside the cage.
At UFC Fight Night 208 last July, Aspinall suffered a nasty knee injury after attempting a hard leg kick on Curtis Blaydes, which resulted in MCL and meniscus tears, and ACL damage. The injuries required surgery and physical therapy to get back on track, which he admits was a frustrating process. Now Aspinall is ready for action, and anxious to correct the record when he steps into the same octagon on July 22 to face Marcin Tybura in London.
“I feel like I need to go back to the O2 Arena and absolutely spark someone,” Aspinall told BT Sport. “And I’m itching to do it to like right that wrong. I want to knock someone out in the O2 Arena. … I couldn’t be happier that they’re putting me on the O2, as a main event as well. The same spot that it happened. Almost a year later to the day.
“I’ve got a lot to prove, I’ve got a chip on my shoulder and these heavyweights are in for a bad time now, let me tell you.”
While unable to train during his recovery phase, Aspinall’s mindset began to change. No longer a heavyweight fighter happy to be on the UFC roster, Aspinall’s focus started to become sharper. He made wholesale changes to his day-to-day processes, and eliminated anything or anyone from his life that takes away from his ultimate goal of becoming UFC heavyweight champion.
“I think that pre-injury Tom Aspinall and post-surgery Tom Aspinall are two completely different people,” Aspinall said. “I think before, everything was going well and I was just blaze about the whole thing. … And I didn’t realize how much I loved this sport and how much I want to do it until it was potentially taken away from me. I had no idea how much I am desperate for greatness until it was almost taken away from me. Now I wake up every morning and I can’t wait to go to the gym and train.”
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Aspinall won his first five fights in the UFC before the injury just 15 seconds into the first round against Blaydes. Aspinall stopped eight straight opponents overall on his win streak, and the title shot was perhaps right around the corner if he defeated Blaydes. The recovery process from surgery gave him time to put everything in perspective, and is grateful everything happened the way it did.
“This is by far the best thing that’s happened in my MMA career,” Aspinall said. “By far. Everything was smooth sailing before. I was just so blaze about everything. I don’t want to say the hunger wasn’t there, because it was. But my hunger is off the scale now. Ask anyone who’s around me. I’m like on edge for greatness.”
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All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.
MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.
But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.
Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.
Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie from May 8-15.
After a full year on the shelf, UFC standout Tom Aspinall is ready to return in London.
After a full year on the shelf, UFC standout [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] is ready to return.
Aspinall, No. 5 in the official UFC heavyweight rankings, has been booked to headline the promotion’s Fight Night event July 22 at The O2 in London, where he will take on No. 10 [autotag]Marcin Tybura[/autotag]. UFC president Dana White announced the fight booking Wednesday on social media.
U.K.’s Aspinall, 30, will step into the octagon for the first time since last July, almost exactly one year to the day that he suffered a freak knee injury in his headlining fight with Curtis Blaydes also at The O2. Aspinall injured his knee after landing some leg kicks on Blaydes, which caused his knee to buckle and gave him an injury TKO loss after just 15 seconds. Aspinall underwent surgery shortly after and has been working to return ever since.
Prior to the freak incident, Aspinall (12-3 MMA, 5-1 UFC) was on a nine-fight winning streak, which included his first five fights in the UFC, all finishes, as he was rapidly establishing himself as a title contender in the division.
Tybura, 37, has won seven of his past eight and is on a two-fight winning streak against Alexandr Romanov and Blagoy Ivanov, both decisions.
Tybura’s lone defeat in that stretch was a decision to Alexander Volkov, whom Aspinall submitted in the first round.
With the addition, here is the updated UFC London card on July 22:
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Tom Aspinall says you can forget about Jon Jones continuing his career if he beats Stipe Miocic.
[autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] won’t be surprised if he never crosses paths with UFC heavyweight champion [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag].
Jones has hinted that he could retire after a couple of title defenses. He’s been linked to a matchup with former champ Stipe Miocic, who’s widely considered the greatest heavyweight of all time. So if Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) can add someone like Miocic to his resume, Aspinall (12-3 MMA, 5-1 UFC) wonders if he’d even be motivated to fight young up-and-comers such as himself or Sergei Pavlovich.
“I’ve been saying this for ages,” Aspinall told Michael Bisping in a recent interview. “I was like, ‘Look, he’s going to go up there, he’ll have one fight, fight Stipe, and then retire.’ Everyone says, ‘He signed an eight-fight deal or whatever, a six-fight deal, and he’s put all this weight on.’ I’m like, there’s no chance.
“The guy doesn’t have to be fighting someone like me or someone like Pavlovich or someone like that. He’s not gonna want to take on young contenders anymore. And fair play to him. I don’t blame him. He doesn’t have to. He doesn’t have anything to prove to anybody. The guy’s done everything. I always thought from the beginning, maybe he’ll come up, have one or two fights, and then leave it at that. I’m sure that’s what he’s gonna do.”
Aspinall suffered his first octagon loss last July when he injured his knee in a quick TKO loss to Curtis Blaydes. He plans on headlining the UFC’s return to London on July 22. After beating Aspinall, Blaydes went on to fight Pavlovich but was stopped in Round 1 in the UFC Fight Night 222 headliner last month.
Pavlovich, who has scored six straight first-round knockouts, called out Jones after stopping Blaydes and is willing to wait for the winner of the expected bout between Jones and Miocic.
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