Tag: Tom Aspinall

UFC Fight Night 208 media day faceoffs: Blaydes-Aspinall, Hermansson-Curtis, Pimblett-Leavitt

UFC Fight Night 208 fight week is officially underway in England, with media day and a handful of faceoffs going down.

LONDON – UFC Fight Night 208 fight week is officially underway, with media day and a handful of faceoffs going down Wednesday.

After notable athletes from the card spoke with reporters, the top three matchups for Saturday’s event, which streams on ESPN+ at The O2, locked eyes for the first time in front of cameras.

Everyone stayed professional, from heavyweight headliners [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] (16-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC) and [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 5-0 UFC), to middleweight co-headliners [autotag]Jack Hermansson[/autotag] (22-7 MMA, 9-5 UFC) and [autotag]Chris Curtis[/autotag] (29-8 MMA, 3-0 UFC), and finally the lightweight featured bout between [autotag]Paddy Pimblett[/autotag] (18-3 MMA, 2-0 UFC) and [autotag]Jordan Leavitt[/autotag] (10-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC).

Check out the video above to see the faceoffs from all three bouts at UFC Fight Night 208 media day.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 208.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past two weeks (April 18-May 1)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past two weeks.

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 April 18-May 1.

Curtis Blaydes vs. Tom Aspinall slated for UFC London main event on July 23

Curtis Blaydes will travel to hostile territory at UFC London and attempt to derail Tom Aspinall’s surge up the heavyweight rankings.

[autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] will travel to hostile territory in attempt to derail [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag]’s surge up the heavyweight rankings.

Blaydes (16-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC) vs. Aspinall (12-2 MMA, 5-0 UFC) is on tap to headline UFC Fight Night in London on July 23. The event takes place at The 02 but does not have broadcast plans announced.

MMA Junkie verified with multiple people close to the situation that both fighters have verbally agreed to the five-round bout. The people requested anonymity because the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. MMA journalist Ariel Helwani was first to share UFC’s plan for the matchup.

Blaydes, No. 6 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie heavyweight rankings, is coming off arguably the best performance of his octagon tenure as the record-holder for most takedowns in divisional history stopped Chris Daukaus by TKO at UFC on ESPN 33 without taking the fight to the ground at all. The 31-year-old has won six of his past seven overall, with his lone blemish being a stunning knockout loss to Derrick Lewis in February 2021.

“Razor” will attempt to send the British fans home angry when he goes to No. 7-ranked Aspinall’s backyard. Aspinall will get his second consecutive headliner in London after he submitted Alexander Volkov in the first round at UFC Fight Night 204 in March. The 31-year-old has finished all 12 of his career victories to date, including five consecutive wins to begin his UFC career.

The latest UFC Fight Night London lineup includes:

  • Curtis Blaydes vs. Tom Aspinall
  • Alexander Gustafsson vs. Nikita Krylov
  • Charles Johnson vs. Muhammad Mokaev

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USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, March 22: Tom Aspinall makes major move

Check out the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings following UFC Fight Night 204 in London.

Following UFC Fight Night 204, a number of victorious fighters impacted this week’s rankings update.

London’s main event winner, [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag], looked incredible as he took care of business against Alexander Volkov in the first round. Entering the fight at No. 14 among heavyweights, Aspinall jumps all the way up to the No. 7 spot after a dominant performance.

On the prelims, the undefeated [autotag]Jack Shore[/autotag] remained unblemished after picking up a unanimous decision win over Timur Valiev. After his fifth UFC victory, the Wales representative broke through from the honorable mentions into the No. 14 spot in the bantamweight division.

The home country talent was on full display Saturday, as [autotag]Paddy Pimblett[/autotag] and [autotag]Molly McCann[/autotag] left lasting impressions with their performances. After a first round submission from Pimblett and a knockout of the year contender finish from Molly McCann, both have entered the honorable mentions.

Take a look at the full rankings below, ahead of Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 33 in Columbus, Ohio.

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UFC London was an all-time great event. Here are 8 reasons why.

Given the performances and electric atmosphere, we won’t soon forget the UFC’s long-awaited return to London.

The UFC’s long-awaited return to London after three years away was an electric one.

Featuring some of the best talent to ever come out of the U.K., the home fighters absolutely delivered this past Saturday at UFC Fight Night 204.

Fans at the O2 Arena were on their feet all night. The performances collectively were so good that UFC president Dana White handed out a whopping nine “Performance of the Night” bonuses to every fighter who scored a finish. White was so elated with how the night turned out that he promised U.K. fans that the UFC will return before 2022 ends.

From Tom Aspinall at the top of the bill to Muhammad Mokaev, who kicked off the night with a bang, here are eight reasons why UFC London was one of the promotion’s all-time great events.

Mick Maynard’s Shoes: What’s next for Tom Aspinall after UFC Fight Night 204 win?

See whom Tom Aspinall should fight next after his victory over Alexander Volkov in the UFC Fight Night 204 headliner.

[autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] put a bow on one of the most memorable events in recent memory Saturday when he submitted Alexander Volkov in the UFC Fight Night 204 headliner.

Aspinall (12-2 MMA, 5-0 UFC) became the first fighter in more than 11 years to force Volkov (34-10 MMA, 8-4 UFC) to tap. He finished the fight with a straight armbar in the first round of the headliner at The 02 in London, keeping a flawless record inside the octagon.

After the fight, Aspinall made it clear he wants a matchup with fellow streaking heavyweight Tai Tuivasa. Is that the matchup to make for him, though?

Watch the video above for thoughts and analysis on Aspinall’s future after UFC Fight Night 204.

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UFC Fight Night 204 post-event facts: Molly McCann’s elbow, other finishes enter record books

Check out all the facts and figures from UFC Fight Night 204, which saw a record-setting nine bonuses issued on a historic card.

The UFC put on one of the most memorable events in its storied history on Saturday with UFC Fight Night 204, which went down at The 02 in London and featured a remarkable nine finishes out of 12 bouts.

The show closed with a swift and decisive performance from [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 5-0 UFC), who submitted fellow heavyweight contender [autotag]Alexander Volkov[/autotag] (34-10 MMA, 8-4 UFC) in the first round of their fight to stay unbeaten inside the octagon.

For more on the numbers behind the card, check below for 53 post-event facts from UFC Fight Night 204.

UFC London winner Tom Aspinall wants Tai Tuivasa next based on his fight style and personality

After pulling off a a feat no one else had done in nearly a dozen years, Tom Aspinall has set his sights on the next big task.

LONDON – After pulling off a a feat no one else had done in nearly a dozen years, [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] has set his sights on the next big task.

Aspinall (12-2 MMA, 5-0 UFC) submitted former Bellator heavyweight champion Alexander Volkov (34-10 MMA, 8-4 UFC) in the first round in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 204 main event at The O2 in London. Volkov had not been submitted since July 2010.

“It couldn’t have gone any better,” Aspinall said after the fight. “That was the ideal performance. I truly thought I was going to go five rounds. To get a guy like Volkov, who has been finished twice in 45 fights, out of there in the first round shows credit to my finishing ability. My finishing ability is the highest of the high level.

“I do like knocking people out. I’ll be honest. To me, knocking someone out is better than a submission. But I’ll take the submission over (going) five rounds all day.”

With the win, England’s Aspinall ran his winning streak to eight fights – all by stoppage. He’s a perfect 5-0 in his first five UFC bouts in less than two years, and it’s been against an increasingly stiff level of competition.

Before his win over Volkov, Aspinall tapped out former heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski and this past September knocked out Serghei Spivac in the first round.

Now Aspinall, who will turn 29 next month, has turned his focus to Tai Tuivasa, who has five straight knockout wins. In February, he stopped Derrick Lewis for his third straight $50,000 bonus.

Aspinall said his callout has nothing to do with beef and everything to do with being a fan of him as a prospective opponent.

“I’m a big fan of Tai – big shout-out, Tai,” Aspinall said. “The reason why I called out Tai is, first of all, I’m a massive fan of his style. Second of all, I’m a massive fan of his personality. The crowd goes wild when he fights. And apparently, the crowd goes wild when I fight. So me and him in the U.K., come on, bro. What a good time that would be. Let’s line it up (for) the next U.K. card. Get me and Tai on it – please.”

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UFC Fight Night 204 results: Tom Aspinall submits Alexander Volkov with ease

Tom Aspinall continued to climb up the rankings with a submission of Alexander Volkov in impressive fashion at UFC Fight Night 204 in London.

[autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] continues to push the bar on his potential.

The rising UFC heavyweight contender had a big test in front of him in the main event of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 204, and he passed it with ease. Aspinall (11-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) submitted former Bellator champion and longtime UFC contender [autotag]Alexander Volkov[/autotag] in the first round of their contest. The official stoppage came at the 3:45 mark of Round 1.

It was a dominant showing by Aspinall. The 28-year-old outworked Volkov (34-9 MMA, 8-3 UFC) in all areas of the game. Early in the round, Aspinall connected on Volkov while also avoiding any big shots coming his way. Aspinall then took Volkov down and landed heavy ground-and-pound to split him open on the side of his head. Volkov got back up, but eventually was taken down again and submitted seconds later with a straight armlock.

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With the win, Aspinall continued his unbeaten run in the UFC and his rise up the heavyweight rankings. Aspinall is on an eight-fight winning streak, which includes five victories under the UFC banner. Apinall hasn’t lost since May 2016.

Volkov was unable to build off his unanimous decision win over Marcin Tybura at UFC 267 this past October. He’s 1-2 in his past three fights. The other loss came to former UFC interim heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane in June 2021. It was Volkov’s second career submission loss and first since 2010.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 204 results include: