UFC London: Volkov vs Aspinall - Mar 19 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

[Bus Surfer]

Let's go, Captain Tom! 

[Carbomb]

If he wins this, he should be "Major" Tom, and his entrance music can be Space Oddity.

[Egg Shen]

its been highlighted elsewhere but BT's coverage of the UFC has been absolutely top draw this week, some great content, im buzzing for this.

[RancidPunx]

3 hours ago, Kfogg1991 said:

I'm actually really looking forward to this card today. 

The fact it's the first show in years that starts early for us is a Brucey bonus. 

The main card is pretty fucking good and even the prelims are fairly stacked too. 

It sucks slightly that the main card will be clashing with the hall vs the mountain fight but I'll watch that after this has finished.

I'm going with volkov to win and hooker for main and Co main

What time is the main Event starting?

[Kfogg1991]

16 minutes ago, RancidPunx said:

What time is the main Event starting?

Not really sure the main card starts at 8 though 

[Egg Shen]

here it is:

[RancidPunx]

49 minutes ago, Egg Shen said:

here it is:

Spot on thanks.

[wandshogun09]

With the main card starting at 8, I’d expect Volkov vs Aspinall around 9:45-10pm-ish.

I’m gonna have to catch this from the very first prelim though. My ‘one to watch’ Mokaev’s debut is jerking the curtain on Fight Pass! 

[wandshogun09]

Jack Shore.

[Cousin Jim Bob]

That went about as well as the UFC could have dreamed off. Lots of big finishes for the UK fighters with a completely amped up crowd cheering it on. 

Would have loved to be there live!

[Kfogg1991]

I think this turned out to easily be the best fight night card of the past 12 months. 

Dana was so happy he gave all 9 finished fights a 50k bonus.

The brits absolutely rose to the occasion and it felt really really special, aspinal getting that submission and popping volkovs elbow was phenomenal, the co main event was something that truly delivered and looked like a sort of arcade Street fighter sort of fight, paddy the baddy made a believer out of me because his reaction and how much the crowd was behind him gave me goosebumps.

I don't know if any of you watched the molly McCann documentary on BT sport this week but it was so honest and emotional at times I was super excited too watch her and good God that knock out was scary and I think that is putting it lightly.

Dana has come out in the post fight press conference and said they didn't book any other venues in the uk this year however after tonight they are going to move shit around and come back before the end of the year 

[Keith Houchen]

Pimblett is such a rancid cunt you just know all the MMeathead two can Van Dammes will love him. Racist homophobic rat. 

[wandshogun09]

So Tom Aspinall is legit then. There are still questions - the cardio, his chin etc - but the fact that he didn’t even have to answer them against a seasoned, bigger, usually awkward guy like Volkov was what made this so impressive to me. Nobody just breezes through Volkov like that. He’s been finished early before but you’re going way back early in his career for that. In the UFC, the only time he’d been stopped before this was the Derrick Lewis fight and he was pretty much schooling Lewis for about 14:50 of that fight before he got waffled out of nowhere. Aside from that, Gane and Blaydes couldn’t finish him despite dominating him for 25 minutes. And here’s Aspinall just casually subbing him inside a round.

Looked really smooth in the striking as well. Managed to evade most of Volkov’s stuff despite him being the bigger, longer man. He wasn’t just there to be hit like most Heavyweights are and he looked fast when he returned fire. I’m still not gonna just say ‘future champ’ like a lot of people are today because, as good a win as this was, the next level up with the likes of Ngannou, Stipe and Gane is a significant jump up even from Volkov. But the way this fight went against a guy like Volkov, whatever happens going forward, Aspinall is for real just based on this win alone. 

I think his callout of Tai Tuivasa after was a realistic and sensible one. Great fight and Tai’s up there, popular and has momentum right now. But it’s one that I think favours Aspinall stylistically. I love Tai and he’s always a threat with his power but I think Aspinall would be a nightmare for him with his speed, the fact he generally doesn’t just stand there and get into brawls and his ground game. The grappling has been Tuivasa’s biggest weakness and I think Aspinall could exploit that and potentially make it a fairly straight forward fight.

It’s great to have a British Heavyweight to get behind. There’s a video doing the rounds on Twitter of him and Dana talking backstage after the fight and Aspinall’s asking, well practically telling Dana that they have to come back to the UK this year for the Tuivasa fight. Dana seemed all for it. If they do I reckon it’ll be Manchester for a proper homecoming for Big Tommy. It’d be nice to see them come back somewhere other than London for once as well. Can’t remember the last UK card they did that wasn’t in London now. Might be going all the way back to that Liverpool show with Wonderboy vs Till on top. Anyway yeah, exciting times ahead for Aspinall.

Arnold Allen. Fucking hell. This is what he’s been missing. That signature win over a name, and a finish. He got both in one go. Absolutely mental couple of minutes of action as well. About as exciting as a fight that lasts 2:33 is gonna get. Allen swarming him early wasn’t really something I expected given his usually reserved style but he was all over Hooker from the jump here. I really thought Allen might gas himself out the way he was going full pelt in that first minute but he composed himself and got Hooker out of there with the second onslaught. I think USADA might ban Tesco Meal Deals based on this. It’s just not fair. 

Huge win for him. His biggest name win before this was Gilbert Melendez back in 2019 but that was last legs Gilbert and it was a forgettable fight that went the distance. Allen’s been kind of spinning his wheels since and was getting a rep as a decision merchant. I think the fact he was against a name like Hooker here, in front of a hot home crowd, really brought the best out of him. He’s beat some solid opponents but he’s never been really pushed or in real danger in the UFC. He’s probably one of those guys who fights to the level of his opposition and I think a dangerous opponent like Hooker is exactly what he needed. Not looking good for Hooker now though, back-to-back first round losses and now what was supposed to be his fresh start back at 145 blows up in his face.

Don’t know if the rankings are up to date but Allen is #7 on the UFC’s website as I type this. Allen wants Calvin Kattar next and I’m all over that. What a great fight that could be. A step up from Hooker and it’s another one that I think brings the best out of Allen. If not him then Josh Emmett is another Top 10 guy and another logical fight.

Paddy Pimblett 🤢 again, an exciting enough round of action. I’ve never said Paddy’s fights aren’t entertaining to watch. But this really doesn’t prove much at all. I find it quite funny how silly some of the talk has been about him, after his debut and again here. As if he’s some massive star, future champ, talk of him selling out Anfield or Wembley etc. All based off wins over Luigi Vendramini and Kazula Vargas. It’s hilarious. He’s clearly popular (for some fucking reason) and the ones who don’t like him will tune in hoping to see him lose. Nobody’s really indifferent so I get featuring him. But people acting like this showed he’s some future player at 155 is comical. This wasn’t in the same universe as Aspinall pissing through a veteran like Volkov or Allen bashing up a tried and tested battler like Hooker. This was Pimblett subbing a guy who was 1-2 in the UFC coming in and had only fought once a year over the last 3 years. If anything this was a step backwards from the Vendramini fight. And like that fight, Paddy still got cracked again by Vargas here in one of the very first exchanges. He’s not awful in the cage (although he’s abhorrent outside it) but he’s not really that good either. When he steps up against someone legit, he’s getting fucked up. Undercard skills with main card hype.

Fucking cringed throughout his post-fight interview as well. Again talking about Anfield and stuff. And after all the shit he’s talked this week, he swiftly swerved talk of that Topuria callout didn’t he? “Lions don’t concern themselves with sheep” or some bollocks. OK. Wouldn’t even mention Topuria by name yet calls out Mark Zuckerberg! Absolute helmet. He wants none of Topuria. That whole bit after the fight with Molly was a bit much for me, to be honest.

I get them being happy and the atmosphere must’ve been off the charts but them celebrating like they just won a 6 week rollover on the EuroMillions was so overbearing. It was a cool enough night for them but when you put it in perspective, they both just beat two nobodies. 

Thought Gunnar Nelson looked decent if a bit unspectacular. Saw some whinging on Twitter that it was boring but I thought it was fine. Especially considering Gunnar had been gone so long before this. I was unsure how he’d look but I quite liked what I saw here. Don’t see him doing too much in the current Welterweight mix but he’s another name to throw in there. 

I’d never in a million years have predicted Molly McCann to pull out what’s surely gonna be in the conversation for Knockout Of The Year this year.

She’d never finished anyone in the UFC before this, only had a couple of finishes pre-UFC, and lands that. Scary KO. Carolina was down for ages. It was a decent fight before that but felt like another run of the mill decision, then we get the spinning shit KO in the third round. Again, thought she went a bit overboard in the post-fight celebration but I’ll give her more of a pass than Pimblett because she did just score a crazy KO and the adrenaline had to be through the roof. 

Ilia Topuria vs Jai Herbert was my FOTN. Tremendous round and a bit of action. Herbert looked sharp as fuck in that first round, probably the best I’ve seen him so far in the UFC and I was starting to think he might actually derail Topuria’s rise. Topuria moved up to 155 for this and I was beginning to think it was a mistake.

How Topuria ate that kick and survived, I don’t have a clue. And not only did he survive he came out in the second round and scored a massive knockout himself.

Ruthless finish. I’m sure there’ll be some critics (mostly Pimblett fans) giving Topuria shit for that first round but he was in with a dangerous striker here, came through adversity and scored a highlight reel KO. This was a way better win than Paddy’s first two UFC fights combined but he doesn’t post racist, ‘edgy’ shit on social media or say lad all the time so he doesn’t have the same hype. I liked him calling the “blonde bitch” out after and I knew he was going to, but as I covered above, it fell on deaf ears. Paddy don’t want it. 

Makwan Amirkhani made short work of Grundy. Subbed him in less than a minute with the old anaconda choke. Just what he needed coming off that brutal KO loss to Lerone Murphy last year. This sucked though. Grundy’s terminally ill Dad sat there watching in the crowd and Grundy gets choked out like that in front of him. Grundy might be a goner as well now I think. His UFC run just hasn’t worked out. 

Sergei Pavlovich is a fucking unit, isn’t he? Only vaguely remembered him because he’s been inactive for ages but he’s a big old lump. And a rare case of a Heavyweight outside the top few guys who is actually worth watching. Might be a darkhorse as well, to be fair. 15-1 now, 12 first round knockouts, only loss is to Overeem etc. Abdurakhimov’s no contender but he’s experienced and tough and Pavlovich comes back after 2+ years away puts him away fairly easily. Good stuff. Still the right side of 30 as well. I’d have him clean house a bit against some of the fat shitehawks lower down the division for a bit now, for a laugh. 

Paul Craig did it again! He was getting absolutely hammered early on and Krylov was looking better than he has in a while. Then Craig busts out that old triangle…

He’s the new Big Nog. Insane how he’s been able to do this a few times now. The Ankalaev one was mental and I’m sure there was another fight where he scored the come from behind sub as well. Only worry is he’s taking a lot of punishment along the way but it’s mad to watch. Loved his call for a fight with Anthony Smith. That’s a fun one. 

Jack Shore keeps his O. The unbeaten record stays intact. Good fight as well. It’s a shame he never got the finish because going the distance again isn’t gonna move him along much in the eyes of most. But if you watched the fight it was a strong performance. Only went to the scorecards because Valiev’s insanely durable. Plenty of time for Shore. He’s only 27 years old and he’s 16-0 now and gaining valuable experience with these decisions. You get the feeling watching him that he’ll shine when he finally gets the big opportunity like Arnold Allen did on this card. Wouldn’t mind seeing that Umar Nurmagomedov fight rebooked now actually. It’s a tough one but I think it’s a tough one for them both. I know not everyone’s a fan of the undefeated prospect vs undefeated prospect matchups but sod it, throw them in there and let’s see what’s what.

Elise Reed vs Cory McKenna was alright. Nothing special. Was sad to see McKenna lose but Reed fought pretty well, especially in the striking. Close fight and I think it comes down to how you had the first round. There might be an argument for McKenna taking 1 and 3 but the one judge scoring it 30-27 McKenna must’ve been on crack.

My ‘one to watch’ Muhammad Mokaev kicked off the prelims and his UFC debut really couldn’t have gone any better.

A 58 second fight that still somehow showcased his striking and grappling. And against a racist twat who’d been mouthing off for months. Sweet. At just 21 years old he’s got a long journey ahead. Way too early to be predicting big things but he looks very promising so far and I hope he goes all the way. Don’t know what’s next for him. The way they’re coddling Pimblett and moving him very slowly is probably how they should be handling Mokaev with him being so young but we’ll see. He’s talking a big game so he might move along quickly. Him and Jake Hadley have been going back and forth for a while now, that’s definitely one for down the road somewhere but this was just the intro. All those fights will come in time.

Amazing card pretty much top to bottom. Really wish I’d been able to be there. For a Fight Night, this was about as good as it gets. 

Edited March 20, 2022 by wandshogun09

[David]

A thoroughly entertaining card from start to finish, with all of the key British fighters getting great results.

Paul Craig. Honestly, I know he said years back that he was calling it a day at his 35th birthday but he'd be mental to follow through on that. He's on a roll, and with the division as it is, he could easily have a real run at the title. Imagine being in your 50's and constantly thinking back "what if?" 

He took out a legit top contender in this fight, and showed he's as dangerous on the ground as anyone in the division.

Arnold Allen. Well, he's announced himself on the stage now! What a win! He may have the name of a Nickelodeon cartoon character, but he's thrown himself into the mix for sure now. This for me was the biggest win of the night, followed by Aspinall and then Craig. 

Tom Aspinall. Another top class performance. Who's next for this guy? Tuivasa sounds like a good option!

Now onto the more irritating part of the card...

Molly McCann. I have to admit, I've never really been impressed by her. I think she'll always be a decent enough UK attraction, but she's kind of found her level I think. Is she ever troubling the likes of a Joanne (Calder)Wood, let alone a Shevchenko? Not in my opinion.

I think a talented striker would pick her off and handily win a decision or a late stoppage. She's tough as hell, but her technique is pretty rudimentary, especially when compared to the top of the division.

Paddy Pimblett. Ah, Patrick. Patricio. Prick. Another win for the lad where he acts like he's just crushed Jose Aldo in 13 seconds. Much like his wee Scouser pal, he's a decent attraction for the UK audience, but do we see him really making a dent in the division? He's too easy to hit. Imagine if someone with real power and finishing skills cracked his jaw like it has been the past few fights? Scousers can't be knocked out? Why not let Topuria put that to the test?

Overall a great night of fights though!

 

[Keith Houchen]

5 minutes ago, David said:

Scousers can't be knocked out?

When he trots out that line I can’t help but think how David Price feels. Without meaning to take anything away from McCann, as she can only fight who is in front of her, but Carolina was one of the worst fighters I’ve seen. Paper thin defender and strikes that even Ken Loach couldn’t get behind. Looked like a girl having a fight at school who didn’t really want to.