Tag: Tom Aspinall

UFC Fight Night 185: Tom Aspinall media day interview

UFC Fight Night 185: Tom Aspinall media day interview

UFC Fight Night 185: Tom Aspinall media day interview

Andrei Arlovski vs. Tom Aspinall added to UFC Fight Night on Feb. 20

A former UFC heavyweight champion and one of the division’s rising hot prospects will collide.

A former UFC heavyweight champion and one of the division’s rising hot prospects will collide at the promotion’s Feb. 20 event.

The UFC Fight Night event has added a bout between [autotag]Andrei Arlovski[/autotag] and [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] to its lineup, the promotion announced Tuesday. The event does not currently have an announced location or venue.

At the time of the fight, Arlovski (30-19 MMA, 19-13 UFC) will be 42 years old and look to extend his winning streak to three. He’s won three of his most recent four outings, which include wins over Ben Rothwell, Philipe Lins and Tanner Boser.

Aspinall (9-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) has won both of his UFC outings by quick first-round knockouts. In his promotional debut, Aspinall defeated Jake Collier in 45 seconds before he defeated Alan Badout by ground-and-pound stoppage in 1:35 his next time out. Aspinall is 27.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CJq-9UpD45x/

With the addition, the UFC Fight Night card for Feb. 20 includes:

  • Curtis Blaydes vs. Derrick Lewis
  • Chris Daukaus vs. Aleksei Oleinik
  • Darrick Minner vs. Charles Rosa
  • Jai Herbert vs. Drakkar Klose
  • Danny Chavez vs. Jared Gordon
  • Shana Dobson vs. Casey O’Neill
  • Jamall Emmers vs. Chas Skelly
  • Matt Brown vs. Carlos Condit
  • Vinicius Moreira vs. Ike Villanueva
  • Rafael Alves vs. Mike Trizano
  • Andrei Arlovski vs. Tom Aspinall

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UFC on ESPN+ 37 medical suspensions: Cory Sandhagen’s win comes with a potential cost

Cory Sandhagen was victorious in the UFC on ESPN+ 37 main event, but his win came at a cost.

[autotag]Cory Sandhagen[/autotag] was victorious in the UFC on ESPN+ 37 main event, but his win came at a cost.

Taking on fellow top bantamweight contender [autotag]Marlon Moraes[/autotag] on Saturday, Sandhagen (13-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) picked up a second-round TKO via a spinning wheel kick and punches. Against Moraes (23-7-1 MMA, 5-3 UFC), however, Sandhagen sustained an eye injury that could put him out of action for 180 days.

On Monday, MMA Junkie obtained the full list of suspensions from MixedMartialArts.com, the Association of Boxing Commissions’ official record keeper.

Also receiving potential six-month suspensions are [autotag]Tom Breese[/autotag], [autotag]Rodrigo Nascimento[/autotag], [autotag]Impa Kasanganay[/autotag], [autotag]Tony Kelley[/autotag], and [autotag]Omar Morales[/autotag] for injuries suffered in their fights Saturday.

UFC on ESPN+ 37 took place at Flash Forum on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. The event streamed on ESPN+.

Below is the full list of UFC on ESPN+ 37 medical suspensions:

  • Cory Sandhagen: Suspended 180 days or until cleared by an ophthalmologist; Also suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days.
  • Marlon Moraes: Suspended 45 days for TKO with no contact for 21 days.
  • [autotag]Edson Barboza[/autotag]: Suspended seven days for mandatory rest.
  • [autotag]Makwan Amirkhani[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days for “hard bout” with no contact for 21 days.
  • [autotag]Marcin Tybura[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days for “hard bout” with no contact for 21 days.
  • [autotag]Ben Rothwell[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days for a right eyebrow laceration with no contact for 21 days.
  • [autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag]: Suspended seven days for mandatory rest.
  • [autotag]Markus Perez[/autotag]: Suspended 60 days for a knockout with no contact for 45 days.
  • [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag]: Suspended seven days for mandatory rest.
  • [autotag]Alan Baudot[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days for TKO with no contact for 21 days.
  • [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days for left eyelid laceration with no contact for 21 days.
  • [autotag]Youssef Zalal[/autotag]: Suspended seven days for mandatory rest.
  • Tom Breese: Suspended 180 days or until right knee MRI and left tibia/fibula x-rays are cleared by a doctor; Also suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days.
  • [autotag]K.B. Bhullar[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days for TKO with no contact for 30 days.
  • [autotag]Chris Daukaus[/autotag]: Suspended seven days for mandatory rest.
  • Rodrigo Nascimento: Suspended 180 days or until cleared by an ophthalmologist; Also suspended for 30 days with no contact for 21 days for right scalp laceration.
  • [autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag]: Suspended seven days for mandatory rest.
  • Impa Kasanganay: Suspended 180 days or until cleared by an ophthalmologist; Also suspended 60 days for knockout with no contact for 45 days.
  • Tony Kelley: Suspended 180 days or until right elbow MRI is and right tibia/fibula x-ray are cleared by doctor; Also suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days.
  • [autotag]Ali Alqaisi[/autotag]: Suspended seven days for mandatory rest.
  • [autotag]Giga Chikadze[/autotag]: Suspended seven days for mandatory rest.
  • Omar Morales: Suspended 180 days or until right elbow MRI, left tibia/fibula X-ray, and left ankle X-ray are cleared by a doctor; Also suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days.
  • [autotag]Tracy Cortez[/autotag]: Suspended seven days for mandatory rest.
  • [autotag]Stephanie Egger[/autotag]: Suspended seven days for mandatory rest.
  • [autotag]Tagir Ulanbekov[/autotag]: Suspended seven days for mandatory rest.
  • [autotag]Bruno Silva[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days for right eyebrow laceration with no contact for 21 days.

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UFC on ESPN+ 37’s Tom Aspinall details sparring with Tyson Fury

Tom Aspinall says working with Tyson Fury has benefitted his mindset going into UFC on ESPN+ 37.

ABU DHABI – Ahead of UFC on ESPN+ 37, [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] spoke with reporters Wednesday during media day.

Aspinall (8-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) discussed his heavyweight bout with Alan Baudot (8-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC), his original matchup with Sergei Spivac falling off the card, training alongside boxing champion Tyson Fury and more.

You can watch the full interview in the video above.

UFC on ESPN+ 37 takes place Saturday at Flash Forum at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. The entire card streams on ESPN+.

Tom Aspinall vs. Serghei Spivac added UFC’s Oct. 10 lineup

Tom Aspinall will get his wish when he faces Serghei Spivac.

[autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] will get his wish.

Aspinall (8-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) will face [autotag]Serghei Spivac[/autotag] (11-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) on the UFC’s Oct. 10 card, which is expected to take place at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, UFC officials announced Tuesday.

After taking out Jake Collier in just 45 seconds in his UFC debut in July, Aspinall called out Spivac for a fall showdown and got what he asked for. The Team Kaobon heavyweight prospect has finished his past four fights, all in Round 1.

Spivac has split his first four UFC appearances and is coming off a majority decision win over Carlos Felipe in July, the first time he’s gone the distance in a win.

With the addition, the latest Oct. 10 lineup includes:

  • Marlon Moraes vs. Cory Sandhagen
  • Edson Barboza vs. Sodiq Yusuff
  • Markus Perez vs. Rodolfo Vieira
  • Seungwoo Choi vs. Youssef Zalal
  • Ben Rothwell vs. Marcin Tybura
  • Thomas Almeida vs. Alejandro Perez
  • Tracey Cortez vs. Bea Malecki
  • Chris Daukaus vs. Rodrigo Nascimento
  • Abu Azaitar vs. Joaquim Buckley
  • Tom Aspinall vs. Serghei Spivac

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Tom Aspinall amused by ‘young Frank Mir’ comparisons, but won’t rush his career after 45-second win

British heavyweight Tom Aspinall reacts after his eye-catching 45-second TKO victory on his octagon debut at UFC on ESPN 14.

ABU DHABI – [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] beat Jake Collier via first-round TKO Saturday on the preliminary card of UFC on ESPN 14 on Yas Island.

Take a look inside the fight with Aspinall, who registered an eye-catching performance on his octagon debut in only his 10th career fight.

Result: Tom Aspinall def. Jake Collier via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 0:45
Records: Tom Aspinall (8-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC), Jake Collier (11-5 MMA, 3-4 UFC)
Key stat: Aspinall’s 45-second win saw him claim the fourth-fastest finish for a debuting heavyweight in modern-era UFC history.

Aspinall on feeling at home in the octagon on the fight’s key moment

“It feels amazing, but this is something I’ve seen in my mind for a long time. I was looking across the octagon and I felt completely normal. I’m not too up, to be honest with you, because I feel like I’ve seen it all before, and I feel great.”

Aspinall on having to wait for his UFC debut

“I think it worked out quite well for me, to be quite honest. I had some injuries, I had some personal stuff going on. It sounds something small, but when I got to the UFC, I’d never had a diet in my life before, and I got put on a diet that wasn’t right for me and I didn’t feel great. … I just felt really flat when I was training. This time I sorted out properly with a real nutritionist and a proper chef and stuff, and I feel amazing.”

Aspinall on not rushing to the top

“Not very fast, to be honest. I’ve just turned 27. I want to to be doing this until I’m 35 at least, 37. I dunno, at least another 10 years-ish. I ain’t got much experience, so I want to fight guys around my level, I don’t want to step up too quick, I on’t want to be rushed and I just want to gain my experience slowly and get to the top when I’m ready.”

Aspinall on social media suggesting he looked like a young Frank Mir

“I mean, he’s a good-looking guy, but he’s at least 10 years older than me, so I’m not that happy with that! But he’s a good-looking guy, so I’ll take it!”

To hear more from Aspinall, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.

Callout Collection: Who UFC on ESPN 14 winners want next – and how likely they’ll get them

Fabricio Werdum and Paul Craig were among those who name-dropped their preferred next opponents at UFC on ESPN 14 in Abu Dhabi.

Earning wins in the UFC is certainly no easy task, but what comes next is often even more important: the post-fight callout.

So after Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 14 event in Abu Dhabi, who took advantage of their time on the mic? See below for this week’s Callout Collection – and just how realistic each one is.

* * * * *

First up, let’s take a look at the preliminary card …

Nathaniel Wood

Wants to fight: [autotag]John Dodson[/autotag]

The callout: “I’d love to come back here, it’s been an absolutely amazing experience. If the UFC do keep this venue here up and running, I’d love to get back on here. I’d like a rematch with John Dodson at some point, but I understand that (the matchmakers) won’t give that to me necessarily, so just whoever the matchmakers want me to fight, I’ll take whoever the UFC give me.”

The reality: [autotag]Nathaniel Wood[/autotag] knows that he’s unlikely to get a rematch with John Dodson straight away, but it certainly doesn’t hurt to plant the seed in the matchmakers’ minds. The Brit was set to face undefeated debutant Umar Nurmagomedov on “Fight Island” but the death of his uncle – and father of cousin Khabib – Abdulmanap meant he withdrew from the event. Wood stayed on the card and showed off his evolving striking game against game debutant John Castaneda. Wood will have to take on, and beat, more established opposition before he can get his rematch, but after another performance full of positives, the Brit is trending in the right direction again.

Next up: Rising featherweight targets fellow hot prospect.

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UFC on ESPN 14 post-event facts: Khamzat Chimaev’s record might be untouchable

Check out all the facts and figures from UFC on ESPN 14, which saw Robert Whittaker score a main-event win over Darren Till in Abu Dhabi.

The final stop of the UFC’s inaugural “Fight Island” stretch took place Saturday with UFC on ESPN 14, which went down at Flash Forum on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi with a record 15-fight card that aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.

Former UFC middleweight champion [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] (21-5 MMA, 12-3 UFC) rebounded from losing the title to Israel Adesanya last October when he outworked [autotag]Darren Till[/autotag] (18-3-1 MMA, 6-3-1 UFC) to a unanimous decision in the main event.

For more on the numbers behind the historic fight card, check below for 50 post-event facts to come out of UFC on ESPN 14.

* * * *

General

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The UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payout for the event totaled $209,500.

Debuting fighters went 1-4 at the event.

[autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag], [autotag]Paul Craig[/autotag], [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag], [autotag]Jesse Ronson[/autotag], [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] and [autotag]Tanner Boser[/autotag] earned $50,000 UFC on ESPN 14 fight-night bonuses.

The six fight-night bonuses issued at UFC on ESPN 14 set a single-event record for the company.

UFC on ESPN 14 drew an announced attendance of zero for a live gate of $0.

Betting favorites went 11-4 on the card.

Betting favorites improved to 14-6 in UFC headliners this year.

Total fight time for the 15-bout card was 2:40:24.

Main card

Robert Whittaker

Whittaker improved to 9-1 since he moved up to the UFC middleweight division in November 2014.

Whittaker has earned seven of his 12 UFC victories by decision.

Till fell to 1-1 since he moved up to the middleweight division in November.

Till suffered the first decision loss of his career.

[autotag]Mauricio Rua[/autotag]’s (27-11-1 MMA, 11-9-1 UFC) 23 victories in UFC/PRIDE light-heavyweight competition are the most in combined divisional history.

[autotag]Antonio Rogerio Nogueira[/autotag] (23-10 MMA, 6-7 UFC) fell to 2-5 in his past seven fights dating back to July 2014.

Nogueira has suffered six of his 10 career losses by decision.

Werdum (24-9-1 MMA, 12-6 UFC) improved to 10-4 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in February 2012.

Werdum has earned 18 of his 24 career victories by stoppage. That includes eight of his 12 UFC wins.

[autotag]Alexander Gustafsson[/autotag]’s (18-7 MMA, 10-7 UFC) three-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since May 2017.

Gustafsson was unsuccessful in his heavyweight debut.

Gustafsson fell to 3-6 in his past nine UFC appearances dating back to his first title fight against Jon Jones in September 2013.

Carla Esparza

[autotag]Carla Esparza[/autotag] (17-6 MMA, 8-4 UFC) improved to 7-3 since losing the UFC strawweight title to Joanna Jedrzejczyk in March 2015.

Esparza’s eight victories in UFC strawweight competition are second most in divisional history behind Jedrzejczyk (10).

Esparza’s four-fight UFC winning streak at strawweight is the fourth longest active streak in the division behind Tatiana Suarez (five), Yan Xiaonan (five) and Zhang Weili (five).

Esparza has earned seven of her eight UFC victories by decision.

Esparza’s 39 takedowns landed in UFC strawweight competition are most in divisional history.

[autotag]Marina Rodriguez[/autotag] (13-1-2 MMA, 2-1-2 UFC) had her 15-fight unbeaten streak snapped for the first defeat of her career.

Craig (13-4-1 MMA, 5-4-1 UFC) has earned all of his career victories by stoppage.

Craig became the first fighter in UFC history to win three separate fights by triangle choke submission.

Craig’s five submission victories in UFC light heavyweight competition are tied with Jones, Misha Cirkunov, Ovince Saint Preux, and Glover Teixeira for most in divisional history.

[autotag]Gadzhimurad Antigulov[/autotag] (21-6 MMA, 3-2 UFC) has suffered all eight of his career losses by stoppage.

Antigulov suffered his first submission loss since Apr. 27, 2013 – a span of 2,646 days (more than seven years) and 18 fights.

[autotag]Alex Oliveira[/autotag] (21-8-1 MMA, 11-6 UFC) improved to 9-5 (with one no contest) in UFC welterweight competition.

[autotag]Peter Sobotta[/autotag] (17-7-1 MMA, 4-6 UFC) fell to 4-3 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in May 2014.

Sobotta has suffered four of his six UFC losses by decision.

Khamzat Chimaev

Chimaev (8-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) set a record for fastest time between UFC wins with two victories in 10 days.

Chimaev earned a fight-night bonus for both of his wins.

Chimaev has earned all eight of his career victories by stoppage. He’s finished five of those wins in Round 1.

[autotag]Rhys McKee[/autotag] (10-3-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) has suffered both of his career stoppage losses by knockout.

Preliminary card

Francisco Trinaldo

[autotag]Francisco Trinaldo[/autotag]’s (26-7 MMA, 16-6 UFC) 15 victories in UFC lightweight competition are tied for fourth most in divisional history behind Jim Miller (19), Donald Cerrone (17) and Gleison Tibau (16).

[autotag]Jai Herbert[/autotag] (10-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) has suffered both of his career losses by knockout.

Ronson (22-10 MMA, 1-3 UFC) was successful in his return to the UFC after going winless in his first stint from 2013-2014.

[autotag]Nicolas Dalby[/autotag] (18-4-1 MMA, 2-3-1 UFC) fell to 1-1 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in September.

Dalby suffered the first submission loss of his career.

Aspinall (8-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) has earned all eight of his career victories by stoppage.

[autotag]Jake Collier[/autotag] (11-4 MMA, 3-4 UFC) was unsuccessful in his UFC heavyweight debut.

Collier has alternated wins and losses over his past eight fights.

Collier has suffered four of his five career losses by stoppage.

[autotag]Movsar Evloev[/autotag] (13-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) has earned all three of his UFC victories by decision.

[autotag]Mike Grundy[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) had his nine-fight winning streak snapped for the first defeat of his career.

Grundy suffered the first decision loss of his career.

Tanner Boser

Boser (19-6-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) earned his second UFC victory in a 28-day stretch. He also won at UFC on ESPN 12 on June 27.

Raphael Pessoa (10-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) has suffered both of his career losses by stoppage.

Pessoa suffered the first knockout loss of his career.

[autotag]Pannie Kianzad[/autotag] (13-5 MMA, 2-2 UFC) has earned nine of her 12 career victories by decision. That includes both of her UFC wins.

[autotag]Ramazan Emeev[/autotag] (19-4 MMA, 4-1 UFC) improved to 3-1 since he dropped to the UFC welterweight division in May 2018.

Emeev improved to 16-2 in his past 18 fights.

Emeev has earned all four of his UFC victories by decision.

[autotag]Niklas Stolze[/autotag] (12-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) has suffered all four of his career losses by decision.

[autotag]Nathaniel Wood[/autotag] (17-4 MMA, 4-1 UFC) earned his first decision victory since Nov. 14, 2015 – a span of 1,715 days (nearly five years) and 11 fights.

[autotag]John Castaneda[/autotag] (17-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC) suffered the first decision loss of his career.

UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.

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