Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight hitters Tom Aspinall and Marcin Tybura will clash TONIGHT (Sat., July 22, 2023) at UFC London inside The O2 in London, England.
This is a massive moment for Aspinall. One year ago (almost to the day), he headlined in London in a title eliminator, but his knee imploded before he could capitalize on the moment and really become a star. He’s been given a second chance here, one where a strong showing immediately negates that unfortunate incident a year ago. Meanwhile, Tybura is the obvious B-side in this main event. He’s expected to lose, but if he can pull off the upset, Tybura is as close to the title as when he fought Fabricio Werdum in 2017.
There’s a lot on the line for each man. Let’s take a closer look at the keys to victory for each:
Tom Aspinall
Record: 12-3
Key Wins: Alexander Volkov (UFC London), Andrei Arlovski (UFC Vegas 36), Sergei Spivac (UFC Vegas 19), Jake Collier (UFC Fight Island 3), Alan Baudot (UFC Fight Island 5)
Keys Losses: Curtis Blaydes (UFC London)
Keys to Victory: Aspinall is an athletic specimen. He’s a big Heavyweight who moves with the speed of a man two weight classes smaller, and he combines those physical gifts with a slick boxing attack and jiu-jitsu black belt.
In recent years, Tybura tends to win fights in one way: grinding takedowns. Blaydes was supposed to present a more elevated level of that threat to Aspinall last time out, but the bout ended before anything could be learned. Realistically, this is a more similar match up to Aspinall’s bout with Sergei Spivac, who he stopped in the first round.
In that bout, Aspinall secured an early stoppage by striking off the clinch, breaking with a knee and elbow. Similarly, punishing Tybura’s attempts to close distance will be really helpful here, as each clinch strike landed discourages him from chasing his only real path to victory.
Otherwise, Aspinall’s footwork and speed should allow him to maintain distance and land damaging shots.
Marcin Tybura
Record: 24-7
Key Wins: Alexander Romanov (UFC 278), Andrei Arlovski (UFC Fight Night 111), Walt Harris (UFC Vegas 28), Ben Rothwell (UFC Fight Night 179), Maxim Grishin (UFC 251), Greg Hardy (UFC Vegas 17)
Key Losses: Alexander Volkov (UFC 267), Fabricio Werdum (UFC Fight Night 121), Augusto Sakai (UFC Fight Night 158), Derrick Lewis (UFC Fight Night 126), Shamil Abdurakhimov (UFC Fight Night 149)
Keys to Victory: Tybura is a well-rounded veteran. He’s been in there with the best for a long time, winning more often than not on the strength of his distance kickboxing, cage wrestling, and simple grit.
The simple fact remains here that Aspinall has yet to see the midway point in the second round of a UFC fight. He’s exceptionally dangerous early, certainly, but based on historical precedent, it’s pretty fair to assume that he’s a lot less dangerous as the fight wears on. Conversely, Tybura is experienced in 15-minute grinds and even has five-round fight experience.
Surviving the first round and a half is therefore a big deal! If Tybura can extend this fight — via head movement, clinches, footwork, and whatever other defensive skill he possesses — his chances skyrocket. We’ve never seen Aspinall forced to deny takedowns while fatigued, and Tybura has the skill necessary to test him like that.
Conclusion
This bout aims to find out where Tom Aspinall stands.
As mentioned, a win puts Aspinall right back in the mix. His funky loss to Blaydes is forgotten, or maybe he’ll get a chance to avenge that fight. Either way, he’s a young Top Five Heavyweight just a fight or two removed from a title shot. Perhaps victory here lines him up for a fight with Ciryl Gane? Sadly, if he comes up short, fans are going to be left wondering what could have been if not for the knee injury.
As for Tybura, he’s not expected to win here. A loss maintains his current status as a gatekeeper to the division’s elite. However, if he does manage to score a massive upset that extends his win streak to three, Tybura deserves another chance to be considered as a potential — if unlikely — contender.
At UFC London, Tom Aspinall and Marcin Tybura will go to war in the main event. Which man will earn the victory?
Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC London fight card right here, starting with the ESPN+ “Prelims” matches, which are scheduled to begin at 12 p.m. ET, then the remaining main card balance (also on ESPN+) at 3 p.m. ET.
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