Tag: tom aspinall

Watch: O2 Arena Ripped Apart By Storm Weeks Before UFC London

It appears the UFC’s long-awaited return to London, England may have hit another roadblock in the form of Britain’s worst storm in decades. On March 19, MMA’s premier promotion is set to host a card in England’s capital for the first time since 2019. After an attempt to cross the Atlantic proved unsuccessful last September,…

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It appears the UFC’s long-awaited return to London, England may have hit another roadblock in the form of Britain’s worst storm in decades.

On March 19, MMA’s premier promotion is set to host a card in England’s capital for the first time since 2019. After an attempt to cross the Atlantic proved unsuccessful last September, the UK audience has finally had an event officially confirmed, one that sold out in minutes.

But an extreme weather event may be about to throw a spanner in the works. As Storm Eunice causes havoc across the British Isles and delivers record-breaking gusts, damage is inevitable. What most probably hadn’t banked on, though, was the roof of the O2 Arena being torn off…

While it’s uncertain how serious the damage is and what a potential repair timeline will look like, the storm continues to rage on. With that in mind, it’s unlikely the venue will remain in its current state, with further destruction expected.

It’s impossible to tell at this stage whether UFC London will be affected. However, with WBC Cruiserweight World Champion Lawrence Okolie set to make his second defense against challenger Michel Cieslak next weekend at the O2, we can expect the status of the March 19 UFC Fight Night to become clearer towards the end of the month.

The O2 Is Set To Host A Stacked British Showcase

Having been kept to US-based events and Abu Dhabi-held cards since the COVID-19 pandemic caused havoc in 2020, the UFC has understandably pulled out all the stops ahead of its return to overseas events.

As well as the presence of top UK names and prospects like Tom Aspinall, Arnold Allen, Paddy Pimblett, Paul Craig, and Molly McCann, well-known international fighters like Dan Hooker, Ilia Topuria, Nikita Krylov, Gunnar Nelson, and Alexander Volkov are also set to enter the cage inside London’s O2 Arena.

With a host of exciting matchups set, fans will certainly be hoping any more damage to the host venue as a result of Storm Eunice is limited.

Listed below are the fights currently expected to go down on March 19 in London, England:

Alexander Volkov vs. Tom Aspinall (heavyweight main event)

Dan Hooker vs. Arnold Allen (featherweight)

Paul Craig vs. Nikita Krylov (light heavyweight)

Shamil Abdurakhimov vs. Sergei Pavlovich (heavyweight)

Jack Shore vs. Timur Valiev (bantamweight)

Paddy Pimblett vs. Kazula Vargas (lightweight)

Gunnar Nelson vs. Claudio Silva (welterweight)

Nathanial Wood vs. Liudvik Sholinian (bantamweight)

Ilia Topuria vs. Jai Herbert (lightweight)

Makwan Amirkhani vs. Mike Grundy (featherweight)

Molly McCann vs. Luana Carolina (women’s flyweight)

Cody Durden vs. Muhammad Mokaev (flyweight)

Cory McKenna vs. Elise Reed (women’s strawweight)

Which UFC London fight are you most looking forward to on March 19?

Continue Reading Watch: O2 Arena Ripped Apart By Storm Weeks Before UFC London at MMA News.

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.

Aspinall Says Main Event Fight At UFC London Was ‘Meant To Be’

Ranked heavyweight Tom Aspinall is about to make the biggest jump of his MMA career thus far. Aspinall is scheduled to headline a UFC card for the first time in his career in March, facing Alexander Volkov at the O2 Arena in London, England. The fight is a huge opportunity for Aspinall, who has yet […]

Continue Reading Aspinall Says Main Event Fight At UFC London Was ‘Meant To Be’ at MMA News.

Ranked heavyweight Tom Aspinall is about to make the biggest jump of his MMA career thus far.

Aspinall is scheduled to headline a UFC card for the first time in his career in March, facing Alexander Volkov at the O2 Arena in London, England. The fight is a huge opportunity for Aspinall, who has yet to lose through four fights in the UFC.

Aspinall has said before that he wants his UFC career to be a slow climb to the top. However, recent changes in his personal life have made him want to speed up the process and jump at the big chances he gets.

The heavyweight prospect recently described why this “180” degree turn to his planning when interviewed on The MMA Hour.

“On every interview that I’ve ever done basically I say that I want to take it slow and I want to take my time and all that. And I’m just doing a 180 on everybody. And I understand why people might find that a little bit confusing, but you know there’s a lot of stuff going on in my personal life and stuff. A few close people recently have passed away. Not so much close people but people that I’ve grown up with and stuff,” said Aspinall. “And I just kind of realized, you know what, you get to live this life one time. I’ve been a fan of Alexander Volkov since he was in Bellator since he was Bellator champ, and you know, mate you don’t get these opportunities every day.”

Aspinall joined the UFC roster just as the COVID-19 pandemic started to change how they operate. Because of this, his four-fight run with the promotion has taken place exclusively in studio settings.

That will change in his upcoming main event fight, as his bout against Volkov will be live in front of thousands in attendance. Aspinall was first set to make his UFC debut in London two years ago against Raphael Pessoa. However, COVID-19 forced that event as a whole to get thrown out. Two years later, Aspinall feels like the stars have aligned for him.

“I’ve never fought in front of a UFC crowd before. I was supposed to fight in London two years ago when the show got canceled. And I just feel like it’s meant to be. It’s come full circle. They offered it [to] me and I just jumped on it, man.”

Continue Reading Aspinall Says Main Event Fight At UFC London Was ‘Meant To Be’ at MMA News.

Aspinall: Jones’ Heavyweight Transition Will Be Harder Than People Think

UFC heavyweight contender Tom Aspinall doesn’t think it’ll be a walk in the park for Jon Jones in his planned move to heavyweight in 2022.

Aspinall is widely regarded as one of the most dangerous heavyweight contenders in the UFC. After seven-strai…

Tom Aspinall, Jon Jones

UFC heavyweight contender Tom Aspinall doesn’t think it’ll be a walk in the park for Jon Jones in his planned move to heavyweight in 2022.

Aspinall is widely regarded as one of the most dangerous heavyweight contenders in the UFC. After seven-straight wins, he’ll get a main event slot against Alexander Volkov on the upcoming UFC London card in March.

Jones is expected to make his return to the Octagon in 2022 at heavyweight, but it’s unclear if he’ll face heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou next. He’s been sidelined for nearly two years amidst an ongoing contract dispute with the UFC, in addition to his preparation for the move up in weight.

During a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, Aspinall opined on who would win in a matchup between Ngannou and Jones.

“Ngannou… I think the big jump between (light heavyweight and heavyweight), him (Jones) carrying an extra 30, 40, 50 pounds, whatever he’s put on, that’s very difficult man, that’s very difficult,” Aspinall said. “That’s a lot of weight to carry around with you that you’re not used to before. Then you’ve got to fight a guy who’s naturally that weight. So, I think it’s gonna be a lot more difficult than a lot of people think. But obviously, Jones is much more skilled than Ngannou, so I don’t know. But I think Ngannou just looks unstoppable at the moment.”

Depending on how his fight with Volkov plays out, Aspinall and Jones could be on a collision course soon. The heavyweight title picture is a bit uncertain as Ngannou continues to quarrel with the UFC brass.

Jones vacated the UFC light heavyweight title following his win over Dominick Reyes at UFC 247. Reyes and Jan Blachowicz would go on to fight for the vacant belt just months later.

UFC President Dana White has remained cautiously optimistic about Jones challenging for the heavyweight title next.

As the UFC faithful continues to wait for Jones’ return to the cage, speculation continues to grow as to how he’ll do at heavyweight. Aspinall may not be alone in his reservations of Jones’ planned move to challenge for heavyweight gold.

Do you agree with Tom Aspinall’s comments on Jon Jones?

Continue Reading Aspinall: Jones’ Heavyweight Transition Will Be Harder Than People Think at MMA News.

Tom Aspinall vs. Alexander Volkov To Headline UFC London

tom aspinallUFC 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. […]

tom aspinall

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…

Tom Aspinall, Alexander Volkov

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.