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Dana White Anticipates “Problems” For Russian Fighters For UFC London

UFC President Dana White is unsure whether or not Russia-based fighters will be able to compete at the upcoming UFC London card. The UFC’s return to London is slated to take place on March 19 at the O2 Arena. The event will be headlined by a heavyweight matchup between Tom Aspinall and Russian contender Alexander…

Continue Reading Dana White Anticipates “Problems” For Russian Fighters For UFC London at MMA News.

UFC President Dana White is unsure whether or not Russia-based fighters will be able to compete at the upcoming UFC London card.

The UFC’s return to London is slated to take place on March 19 at the O2 Arena. The event will be headlined by a heavyweight matchup between Tom Aspinall and Russian contender Alexander Volkov.

Other British stars such as Paddy Pimblett and Arnold Allen will also be on the UFC London card. White has been waiting for months to bring the UFC not just to the U.K., but to the European continent in general.

During a recent interview with Barstool Sports, White gave an update on the status of Russian fighters competing at UFC London amidst the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

“Yeah, you know, it’s obviously gonna cause problems. But we’ll figure it out,” White said.

White went on to address whether or not he could contact U.S. President Joe Biden for some assistance to have the Russian fighters fight in London.

“No, I have Trump’s number, but I definitely don’t have Biden’s number.”

It’s unclear if the UFC will have a backup plan in case Volkov and others won’t be able to fight. Russian heavyweights Sergei Pavlovich and Shamil Abdurakhimov will also compete on the main card.

In addition to recent concerns about Russian fighters, the O2 Arena’s roof was also partially damaged during a recent storm in the London area.

White sounds optimistic about making everything work for the upcoming UFC London card, but it’s clear that some hurdles remain just a few weeks before the event.

What fight are you most excited for at UFC London?

Continue Reading Dana White Anticipates “Problems” For Russian Fighters For UFC London at MMA News.

UFC London Main Event At Risk Amid Ongoing Ukraine-Russia Conflict

The March 19. UFC London main event bout between heavyweight contenders, Alexander Volkov, and Tom Aspinall is reportedly in jeopardy amid the continued and escalating conflict between Ukraine and neighbouring Russia. Per a report from MMA Fighting, the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine has put the heavyweight fight between Volkov and Aspinall in jeopardy, with […]

Per a report from MMA Fighting, the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine has put the heavyweight fight between Volkov and Aspinall in jeopardy, with the possibility of Volkov obtaining a visa to compete in London, England, cast into doubt amid the ongoing conflict. The event is booked to take place at The O2 Arena in London, England.

UFC London is set to make the promotion’s first visit to the U.K. since March 2019

A member of the U.K, Parliament confirmed in a Twitter post over this weekend that it would be denying visas to sports teams from countries “complicit” of the Russian invasion of Ukraine by the country’s president, Vladimir Putin.

“The U.K. will not welcome the national sports teams of those countries who are complicit in (Vladimir) Putin’s unprovoked and illegal invasion of Ukraine.”

The aforenoted report from MMA Fighting confirmed that the UFC are aware of the ongoing situation regarding the visa of Volkov, and, in particular, the possibility of the Moscow native obtaining a visa – and are currently exploring solutions.

Today, the promotion’s official UFC Europe Twitter account released the official UFC London poster – that features the heavyweight bout between Volkov and Aspinall, as well as the featherweight division co-main event between Ipswitch native, Arnold Allen, and New Zealander, Dan Hooker.

Along with Volkov, UFC London currently features three other fighters on the card from Russia – namely, Timur Valiev, and the heavyweight duo of Sergei Pavlovich, and Shamil Abdurakhimov.

For Volkov, the M-1 Global and Bellator MMA veteran last featured professionally at UFC 267 back in October, scoring a unanimous decision win over Marcin Tybura in a European pairing.

For Aspinalll the Greater Manchester native stopped Sergei Spivak in his most recent outing back in September at UFC Vegas 36 – landing his fourth consecutive UFC victory since a July 2020 promotional land.

Tom Aspinall Ready To Begin Heavyweight Takeover At UFC London

UFC heavyweight contender Tom Aspinall is raring to go in 2022 and plans on beginning a heavyweight takeover with a main event victory over Alexander Volkov at UFC London. Early this week, the headlining fight for the UFC’s long-awaited return to England’s capital was confirmed. Unbeaten rising star Aspinall will collide with UFC veteran and […]

Continue Reading Tom Aspinall Ready To Begin Heavyweight Takeover At UFC London at MMA News.

UFC heavyweight contender Tom Aspinall is raring to go in 2022 and plans on beginning a heavyweight takeover with a main event victory over Alexander Volkov at UFC London.

Early this week, the headlining fight for the UFC’s long-awaited return to England’s capital was confirmed. Unbeaten rising star Aspinall will collide with UFC veteran and former Bellator heavyweight champion Volkov.

For Manchester’s Aspinall, the event will mark the first time he’s fought in front of a capacity UFC crowd, having defeated his first four opponents, Jake Collier, Alan Baudot, Andrei Arlovski, and Sergey Spivak, inside Las Vegas’ Apex facility and on Fight Island. What better way to arrive in front of a sold-out audience than in his home country?

Opposite him in the Octagon on March 19 will be a talented and unique Russian striker standing six feet and seven inches tall. Incredibly, UFC London will mark Volkov’s sixth main event in just 12 UFC appearances.

After having his title charged stalled at the hands of Ciryl Gane last summer, “Drago” will look to ride the momentum from his rebound victory over Marcin Tybura into his first outing of 2022, and set himself back on a winning streak.

Aspinall: “I’m Gonna Be Up There”

Many have been comparing Aspinall’s potential to that of Gane at the start of 2021. Last year was a breakout period for “Bon Gamin,” who made his main event debut against Jairzinho Rozenstruik in February, before defeating Volkov in a five-rounder four months later and having interim gold wrapped around his waist in a pay-per-view main event against Derrick Lewis in August.

With Aspinall boasting an unblemished UFC record and getting set for his first headlining bout in the first quarter of this year, many expect the Englishman to replicate the 2021 of his French UFC peer. If he’s to do so, Aspinall will have to get past Volkov, a task the Manchester native is confident he can complete.

During an appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Aspinall suggested he’s ready to make the most of his UFC London opportunity and begin his takeover at heavyweight.

“These opportunities don’t come around all the time. I just feel like I’m ready, man. I just feel like this is my time man,” said Aspinall. “I just wanna go in there and show everybody just what I can really do, because everybody thinks they know what I’m good at and what I’m not good at, but nobody really knows. The only people who really know are the people around me. Mate, I’m gonna be up there and I’m gonna be flying the flag, and I’m gonna take over this shit.”

Similar to UK stars like Arnold Allen, Paddy Pimblett, Jack Shore, Nathanial Wood, Mike Grundy, Molly McCann, and Muhammad Mokaev, Aspinall will be hoping to leave his mark when he enters the cage inside London’s O2 Arena on March 19.

Who do you think will have their hand raised at UFC London in March, Tom Aspinall or Alexander Volkov?

Continue Reading Tom Aspinall Ready To Begin Heavyweight Takeover At UFC London at MMA News.

Tom Aspinall vs. Alexander Volkov To Headline UFC London

UFC heavyweights, Tom Aspinall and Alexander Volkov are set to headline the UFC’s Fight Night card in London on March 19. The UFC is finally set to make a return to the United Kingdom for the first time since 2019, in an event which is set to be held at the 02 Arena in London. […]

UFC heavyweights, Tom Aspinall and Alexander Volkov are set to headline the UFC’s Fight Night card in London on March 19.

The UFC is finally set to make a return to the United Kingdom for the first time since 2019, in an event which is set to be held at the 02 Arena in London. The UFC was supposed to return in March of 2020 before the Covid-19 pandemic meant that card was scrapped.

The event will showcase British talent including Paddy ‘The Baddy’ Pimblet, Jack Shore, Jake Hadley and Molly McCann all expected to compete on the undercard.

No. 10 ranked Aspinall was originally set to take on Shamil Adurakhimov on the undercard but the UFC instead chose to pair the Wigan-based prospect with the much more experienced and higher ranked Volkov in the main event of the evening.

The Background of Tom Aspinall v Alexander Volkov

Aspinall has impressed many with both his attitude and performances inside the cage since his debut with the promotion in mid-2020. Aspinall’s fast hands and the technical game has seen him gain finishes in all of his UFC fights (3 KO, 1 Sub) with his most notable name on his record being Andrei Arlovski but he also scored an impressive first-round KO over the ranked Sergey Spivak.

Former UFC champion and UK MMA legend, Michael Bisping had high praise for the young heavyweight “He’s such a big guy, but he moves like a middleweight. He’s fast on his feet and very agile. He has the speed, which is important. Speed kills power and on top of that he has the power. He’s a big dude, he can wrestle, has heavy hands, is agile. He’s potentially a champion.” (Transcribed by talkSPORT)

Standing opposite Aspinall will stand the towering No.5 ranked Volkov. The former Bellator heavyweight champion will hold a sizeable experience advantage over the Brit, having nearly 45 professional fights.

The Russian quickly became in the discussion as a potential title contender and consistently been in around the top five for years. Volkov holds impressive wins over Fabricio Werdum, Roy Nelson Stefan Struve and Alistair Overeem. However, recent losses to Curtis Blaydes and Ciryl Gane have derailed his title charge.

What do you think? How will Tom Aspinall V Alexander Volkov go?

Report: Tom Aspinall vs. Alexander Volkov To Headline UFC London

Rising heavyweight Tom Aspinall and divisional veteran Alexander Volkov are expected to headline UFC’s return to London, England later this year, per a report.

Volkov and Aspinall are set to serve as the main event for a March 19th UFC “Fight Night…

Rising heavyweight Tom Aspinall and divisional veteran Alexander Volkov are expected to headline UFC’s return to London, England later this year, per a report.

Volkov and Aspinall are set to serve as the main event for a March 19th UFC “Fight Night” event from the O2 Arena, per a report from Brett Okamoto of ESPN.

The matchup gives Aspinall a chance to compete in his first UFC main event fight. His short run with the promotion has been explosive thus far, stopping all four of his opponents in the cage. This includes two wins from last year, which came against Andrei Arlovski and Serghei Spivac.

Aspinall was first initially booked to face Shamil Abdurakhimov in a non-headlining fight on this card. It is not known what the plan is for Abdurakhimov now that this matchup has been booked.

Volkov Returns To Familiar Headlining Position

Alexander Volkov, Alistair Overeem — Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Volkov has fought some of the top names at heavyweight for most of his 11-fight UFC career. He is no stranger to headlining cards, as the new booking is scheduled to be his sixth time in the main event spot.

Volkov is coming off a win, as his last fight was a unanimous decision victory over Marcin Tybura in October at UFC 267. His last main event fight was in June 2021, when he lost to now-interim UFC Heavyweight Champion Ciryl Gane.

Aspinall is just one of the many England-based fighters that are expected for the show. Earlier today, it was reported that Paddy Pimblett will also return on the card against Kazula Vargas.

The event marks UFC’s first time in London in over three years, as the COVID-19 pandemic has limited the number of locations they can travel to.

With this main event announced, here is the updated lineup for UFC London:

Heavyweight Bout: Alexander Volkov vs. Tom Aspinall

Lightweight Bout: Paddy Pimblett vs. Kazula Vargas

Featherweight Bout: Mike Grundy vs. Makwan Amirkhani

Bantamweight Bout: Jack Shore vs. Timur Valiev

Flyweight Bout: Molly McCann vs. Luana Carolina

Flyweight Bout: Muhammad Mokaev vs. Cody Durden

Strawweight Bout: Elise Reed vs. Cory McKenna

Flyweight Bout: Jake Hadley vs. Allan Nascimento

How do you think Tom Aspinall will do in his very first UFC main event fight?

Continue Reading Report: Tom Aspinall vs. Alexander Volkov To Headline UFC London at MMA News.

Report: Tom Aspinall vs. Alexander Volkov To Headline UFC London

Rising heavyweight Tom Aspinall and divisional veteran Alexander Volkov are expected to headline UFC’s return to London, England later this year, per a report.

Volkov and Aspinall are set to serve as the main event for a March 19th UFC “Fight Night…

Rising heavyweight Tom Aspinall and divisional veteran Alexander Volkov are expected to headline UFC’s return to London, England later this year, per a report.

Volkov and Aspinall are set to serve as the main event for a March 19th UFC “Fight Night” event from the O2 Arena, per a report from Brett Okamoto of ESPN.

Aspinall was first initially booked to face Shamil Abdurakhimov in a non-headlining fight on this card. It is not known what the plan is for Abdurakhimov now that this matchup has been booked.

Volkov Returns To Familiar Headlining Position

Aspinall is just one of the many England-based fighters that are expected for the show. Earlier today, it was reported that Paddy Pimblett will also return on the card against Kazula Vargas.

The event marks UFC’s first time in London in over three years, as the COVID-19 pandemic has limited the number of locations they can travel to.

With this main event announced, here is the updated lineup for UFC London:

Heavyweight Bout: Alexander Volkov vs. Tom Aspinall

Lightweight Bout: Paddy Pimblett vs. Kazula Vargas

Featherweight Bout: Mike Grundy vs. Makwan Amirkhani

Bantamweight Bout: Jack Shore vs. Timur Valiev

Flyweight Bout: Molly McCann vs. Luana Carolina

Flyweight Bout: Muhammad Mokaev vs. Cody Durden

Strawweight Bout: Elise Reed vs. Cory McKenna

Flyweight Bout: Jake Hadley vs. Allan Nascimento

How do you think Tom Aspinall will do in his very first UFC main event fight?

Continue Reading Report: Tom Aspinall vs. Alexander Volkov To Headline UFC London at MMA News.