UFC Returns To The UK With Curtis Blaydes vs. Tom Aspinall On July 23
The UFC traveled to London, England, in March 2022 after nearly two years and sold out the O2 Arena. The Fight Card was headlined by Alexander Volkov vs. Tom Aspinall and featured some of the best MMA talents that the UK had to offer. UFC President Dana White was in attendance, and it turned out to be one of the best Fight Night cards in years.
British fans set an electrifying atmosphere at the O2 arena as all of their young stars, including Tom Aspinall, Arnold Allen, Paddy Pimblett, and Molly McCann, secured impressive finishes to set the stadium on fire. White promised British fans that the UFC would return to the UK before the end of 2022, and the UFC President is making good on his word!
Main Event – Blaydes vs. Aspinall
This will be the second Main Event for Tom Aspinall as he takes on his toughest opponent till date in the UFC when he faces the scary Curtis Blaydes. When Aspinall fought Volkov in March, MMA experts felt that it was his biggest challenge, but he passed it with flying colours as he finished the dangerous Russian in the first round.
Aspinall, ranked 6 in the UFC heavyweight rankings, once again gets the chance to headline a UK Fight Night card as he takes on the number 4 ranked Blaydes. Bet365 currently has Blaydes as the slight betting favorite with odds of 1.8, while Aspinall is the underdog with odds of 2.0.
Blaydes is one of the best wrestlers in the heavyweight division and has shown in his last couple of fights that his striking has vastly improved as well. Aspinall is a heavyweight that moves like a light heavyweight and has a well-rounded game. So far, Aspinall has mostly showcased his striking skills and has not had a lot of opportunities to show his skills on the ground.
Blaydes will most likely be the opponent that tests Aspinall on the ground. If Aspinall allows Blaydes to get on top of him, it could be a long night for the Brit. However, it will be tough for Blaydes to take Aspinall down.
We are going to back the experience of Blaydes to hand Aspinall his first loss in the UFC!
Co-Main Event – Hermansson vs. Till
Darren Till was the biggest star the UK had a few years ago but Till lost some of his momentum over the last two years. His last win was back in 2019, and he is looking to get back to the winning column in front of his home fans. The last time Till fought in the UK, he suffered a KO at the hands of Jorge Masvidal.
Till will face Jack Hermansson in the co-Main Event and will likely have his smash brother Khamzat Chimaev in his corner. Bet365 has both fighters tied with the same odds of 1.91, but we do believe that Till has a slight advantage.
Darren Till is known for his striking, and Hermansson is known for his wrestling. Till’s ground game wasn’t the greatest in the past, but he has been working with Khamzat Chimaev and the Allstar Training Center in Sweden to improve his ground game.
We are going to back Till to win by decision!
Pimblett vs. Leavitt
The people’s Main Event is definitely going to be the fight between Paddy, ‘the baddy’ Pimblett vs. Jordan Leavitt. No other MMA star in the UK gets a louder pop from the fans than Paddy the Baddy. He takes on Jordan Leavitt, who has a black belt and is a fantastic grappler while being an average striker.
The oddsmakers have Paddy as the favorite with odds of 2.4 while the American is the underdog with odds of 3.0. Paddy is getting better with each fight in the UFC, and with his home fans behind him; it’s hard not to be on Paddy to win with another finish!
Other Exciting Fights
This UFC Fight Card will feature a great line-up of the top MMA talent in the UK and Europe. There are some great fights in the early prelims and the prelims. Some of the fights you don’t want to miss include; the return of Alex Gustaffsson at light-heavyweight when he takes on Nikita Krylov.
You also don’t want to miss Molly McCann vs. Hannah Goldy and the young and undefeated Muhammad Mokaev vs. Charles Johnson. We will back Gustaffsson, McCann, and Mokaev to end up on the winning side!
