The UFC returns to London once again with a fight card full of talent. British fight fans will be hoping for a different outcome to the last time they saw Tom Aspinall compete at the O2 where he suffered a horrific injury during his fight with Curtis Blaydes. We preview tomorrows event below.
Tom Aspinall V Marcin Tybura
Tybura is significantly lighter than in previous fights, weighing 246 to Aspinall’s 258 lbs. It’s likely premeditated as Tybura looks to deal with the speed of Aspinall. The agility of the Englishman was on display in his TKO victory over Sergey Spivac, landing a flush right elbow from close range at lightning speed before ending the fight with ground and pound and this wouldn’t have gone unnoticed. Aspinall is a well-rounded fighter, with his most recent victory coming via an armbar submission over Alexander Volkov. Tybura will be aware of his opponent’s dual-threat; the looser he is on his feet, the better.
Tybura is certainly no sloth himself, defeating Victor Pesta with a left head kick which isn’t the norm for men of his size. He is known to be in entertaining fights and has never been submitted in the UFC. His 24-7 MMA record includes wins over Blagoy Ivanov, Walt Harris and Andrei Arlovski. Tybura is vastly more experienced than his opponent going into the headline bout at the O2 Arena.
It will be interesting to see how Aspinall has received from his horrific leg injury sustained against Curtis Blaydes just fifteen seconds into the bout last year. Will it be playing on his mind? Will his subconscious mind tell him not to throw that kick? Judging by Aspinall’s comments to the media in the build-up to Saturday night, this won’t be the case.
Aspinall has gained a deep appreciation for his life and career during his time in the treatment room, telling TNT Sports that he is looking to go out there and enjoy himself. He’s had a great training camp thanks to his father bringing in numerous heavyweights to act as sparring partners, something which Aspinall has struggled to find during previous training camps. Laidback in nature, Aspinall seems even more relaxed for this fight than usual.
A loss for either man will be significant. Tybura would drop out of the top ten, while a defeat for Aspinall would scupper his goal to fight Jon Jones and become the UFC heavyweight champion. Two defeats in a row for Aspinall wouldn’t make the road to becoming champion impossible, but it would add a more scenic route to the journey.
Molly McCann V Julija Stoliarenko
McCann said that her fight preparations last time out for her fight against Erin Blanchfield were near perfect. She invested a lot of money in training partners and felt she had really leveled up. The fight didn’t go her way and McCann said that the result took a big toll on her. McCann is being a little hard on herself since Blanchfield has gone on to defeat Jessica Andrade in a scintillating fashion, stamping her authority on the division. Since the defeat, McCann has gone back to basics and said she’s the calmest she has ever felt in the build-up to one of her fights.
Stoliarenko has a three-inch height advantage and a four-inch reach advantage over McCann. She’s a submission specialist who will no doubt attempt to win the fight on the ground against the heavy-handed ‘Meatball.’ It could end up being a classic ‘striker v grappler’ scenario for the co-main event in London.
McCann made weight comfortably while Stoliarenko is dropping down to flyweight for the first time in her career, so come Saturday night Stoliarenko is expected to be a lot heavier than the McCann by the time she steps into the octagon.
Nathaniel Wood V Andre Fili
Much like the headliner Tom Aspinall, Nathaniel Wood is coming off an unfortunate injury, arguably even more so as Wood didn’t even make it to the octagon after injuring his leg during a training session in the build-up to the last UFC London card. Wood, like Aspinall, is very well rounded, with the rear-naked choke being one of the most effective weapons in his arsenal.
Fili is fast approaching a decade inside the octagon, and with both men looking to break into the rankings, a lot is on the line at the O2 Arena. Fili has nine losses on his record, but it’s worth considering the level of opposition he has faced. His resume includes fights against Max Holloway, Yair Rodriguez, and Calvin Kattar. Wood meets the biggest challenge of his career tomorrow night and will need a big performance to overcome Fili.
Paul Craig V Andre Muniz
Moving down to Middleweight, the Jiu-Jitsu specialist Craig faces another submission specialist in the Brazilian Muniz. The fight will likely play out on the floor, and seeing who comes out on top will be interesting. Craig said that he’s expecting the fight to be won in the exchange of range. If he can keep Muniz at a distance and use his heavy shots, the Scotsman Crag thinks he will shock Muniz and get the victory.
The Brazilian Muniz is 16-2 in his last 18 fights and thus will be no pushover. He submitted Eryk Anders and defeated Uriah Hall on points in two of his recent fights, so you can see why the bookmakers have Muniz as the favorite going into this one. Craig has victories against Jamahal Hill and Magomed Ankalaev; Muniz isn’t the only one known to upset the applecart. This bout could be a fascinating match-up.
Jai Herbert V Fares Ziam
Bad luck has followed the Brits on this card over the past year, and Jai Herbert is no different. He was looking great against Ilia Topuria in March last year at the O2 Arena, nearly ending the fight with an impressive head kick. Topuria turned the fight around and went on to win via KO and has gone on to put himself in contention for a title shot against Alexander Volkanovski.
Herbert, meanwhile, defeated Kyle Nelson before drawing his last fight after being deducted a point in the third round for repeated groin strikes. The penalty cost him the win; therefore, a win against Fares Ziam has become even more important as Herbert looks to enter the top fifteen.
Ziam is coming off a decision victory on the Cyril Gane V Tai Tuivasa undercard in Paris last year. The Frenchman has a background in Judo, Kickboxing, and Jui Jitsu. His victories in the octagon are as equally well-rounded: five knockouts, four submissions, and four decision victories.
UFC London takes place tomorrow night, Saturday, July 23, at the O2 Arena in London, England.
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