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Thoughts and analysis of the biggest storylines coming out of UFC Fight Night 204, which took place Saturday in London.
What mattered most at UFC Fight Night 204 at The 02 in London? Here are a few post-fight musings …
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.
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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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:
Analyzing Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 204 odds and lines between Tom Aspinall vs. Alexander Volkov, with MMA picks, tips and predictions.
In a heavyweight bout in the main event, Tom Aspinall and Alexander Volkov meet Saturday at UFC Fight Night 204 at The O2 Arena in London. Below, we analyze the UFC Fight Night 204: Aspinall vs. Volkov odds and lines, with picks and predictions.
The fights can be viewed on ESPN+ with the prelims starting at 1:30 p.m. ET and the main card starting at 4 p.m. ET.
Volkov, the slight underdog, holds height and reach advantages of two inches each. However, the Russian is facing Aspinall in his native England, so the crowd should be able to spur the favorite on.
Aspinall has a tremendous 7.19-to-4.86 significant strikes landed per minute advantage, and he also has advantages in the takedown and submission average departments.
Aspinall is a perfect 4-0 since making his UFC debut, and all four victories have finished inside the distance. He has three KO/TKO wins and a submission victory, including a Round 1 knockout of Serghei Spivac last time out in September.
Watch this card with ESPN+ by signing up here.
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 8:10 a.m. ET.
[tipico]
Records: Volkov (34-9-0) | Aspinall (11-2-0)
ASPINALL (-135) is fighting in his native England, and The O2 Arena should be rocking all evening long. This event was supposed to happen in 2020, but the COVID-19 global pandemic threw a monkey wrench into everything. Aspinall now gets a chance to fight in front of his countrymen.
Aspinall has been a knockout machine since arriving at the UFC level, and ASPINALL BY KO/TKO OR DQ (+170) for the Method of Victory is a tremendous value, too.
Aspinall should be able to get the finish in this one. Therefore, playing NO (-190): FIGHT TO GO THE DISTANCE is the way to go, too. There is no way the judges are tasked with making a decision, as Aspinall just doesn’t tend to go long into the night.
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Check out the marquee faceoffs for UFC Fight Night 204 with Volkov vs. Aspinall, Allen vs. Hooker, Pimblett vs. Vargas.
LONDON – The final countdown for UFC Fight Night 204 is on after ceremonial weight-ins, where the 12-fight card participated in one last faceoff.
Although it’s a deep card all around, the top three matchups are taking the majority of the focus. That includes the heavyweight main event of [autotag]Alexander Volkov[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag], the featherweight co-main event of [autotag]Arnold Allen[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag], as well as the featured lightweight contest of [autotag]Paddy Pimblett[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Kazula Vargas[/autotag].
Alexander Volkov and Tom Aspinall face off for a final time.
Who wins the #UFCLondon main event? pic.twitter.com/Q46IYQCBAs
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) March 18, 2022
Will Arnold Allen extend his streak or does Dan Hooker thrive at 145? 🤔 #UFCLondon pic.twitter.com/eQAjjtCfNH
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) March 18, 2022
Paddy Pimblett (@theufcbaddy) has the Brit's FIRED UP for his #UFCLondon clash with Kazula Vargas. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/8MixMSUUIk
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) March 18, 2022
Paul Craig COULD NOT WAIT to get in Nikita Krylov's face with some intensity at the #UFCLondon faceoffs. pic.twitter.com/HMP6B6tNng
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) March 18, 2022
#UFCLondon is going to get off to an explosive start if the Muhammad Mokaev vs. Cody Durden faceoff is anything to go by. 😳 pic.twitter.com/Ah98sGchYh
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) March 18, 2022
Check out the video of the staredowns above.
UFC Fight Night 204 takes place Saturday at The 02. The entire card streams on ESPN+.
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The main event for the UFC’s first event in England in roughly three years is now official.
LONDON – The main event for the UFC’s first event in England in roughly three years is now official.
UFC Fight Night 204 headliners [autotag]Alexander Volkov[/autotag] and [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] successfully made weight on Friday, setting the stage for their heavyweight clash at The 02, which streams on ESPN+.
During the official weigh-in session, Volkov (34-9 MMA, 8-3 UFC) stepped on the scale at 253 pounds. Aspinall (11-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC), meanwhile, registered at 252 pounds.
The pair will face off one final time at ceremonial weigh-ins before stepping in the octagon to determine which man will further climb the divisional pecking order.
Check out the video above to see Volkov and Aspinall make weight ahead of UFC Fight Night 204.
Watch a live video stream and follow the results of the UFC Fight Night 204 official weigh-ins in London.
LONDON –MMA Junkie is on scene and reporting live from Friday’s official UFC Fight Night 204 weigh-ins, which kick off at 5 a.m. ET (2 a.m. PT).
The weigh-ins take place at the host hotel. The O2 Arena hosts Saturday’s card, which streams on ESPN+.
Among those weighing in are [autotag]Alexander Volkov[/autotag] (34-9 MMA, 8-3 UFC) and [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] (11-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC), who meet in the heavyweight main event, as well as featherweight co-headliners [autotag]Arnold Allen[/autotag] (17-1 MMA, 8-0 UFC) and [autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag] (21-11 MMA, 11-7 UFC).
The full UFC Fight Night 203 weigh-in results include:
MAIN CARD (ESPN+, 4 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 1 p.m. ET)
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The best facts and figures about UFC Fight Night 204, which will see Tom Aspinall and Arnold Allen attempt to keep their runs alive.
The UFC makes its long-awaited return to Europe on Saturday with UFC Fight Night 204, which takes place at The O2 in London and streams on ESPN+.
A clash of heavyweight contenders is featured in the main event of the card. Russia’s [autotag]Alexander Volkov[/autotag] (34-9 MMA, 8-3 UFC) will take on England’s [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] (11-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) in a matchup that will determine who takes the next step forward in title contention.
For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for 32 pre-event facts going into UFC Fight Night 204.
Check out the UFC Fight Night 204 media day faceoffs, where the top three matchups on Saturday’s card in London locked eyes.
LONDON – The top three matchups from UFC Fight Night 204 came face-to-face at the conclusion of media day.
After answering questions from reporter on Wednesday morning, the athletes from the card locked eyes. That included the heavyweight main event of [autotag]Alexander Volkov[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag], the featherweight co-main event of [autotag]Arnold Allen[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag], as well as the featured lightweight contest of [autotag]Paddy Pimblett[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Kazula Vargas[/autotag].
Headliners Alexander Volkov and Tom Aspinall were extra chummy during their first #UFCLondon faceoff. pic.twitter.com/JlwaBGFngd
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) March 16, 2022
Arnold Allen (@Arnoldbfa) and Dan Hooker (@DanTheHangman) shared some banter during their #UFCLondon faceoff. 😅 pic.twitter.com/2X0Ajqk8o8
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) March 16, 2022
Paddy Pimblett (@PaddyTheBaddy) and @KazulaVargasUFC were respectful at their first #UFCLondon faceoff. 🤝 pic.twitter.com/VO5Gi33ibK
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) March 16, 2022
Check out the video of the staredowns above.
UFC Fight Night 204 takes place Saturday at The 02. The entire card streams on ESPN+.
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