UFC London: Blaydes vs Aspinall - Jul 23 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

[Egg Shen]

enjoy your breakfast...

 

[wandshogun09]

[Egg Shen]

[Zebra Kid Mark]

This is such a strong card, I'm looking forward to it. I think it is on par with the last London card (on paper).

Despite the early time I think I will still watch it on Sunday morning as I won't be at home during it. I just have to hope that no pubs have it on as I'd rather watch it in the comfort of my own home.

[wordsfromlee]

I wonder if the Drake curse will strike again

 

[wandshogun09]

I’ve been busy this week so really not given as much thought to this card or got stuck into the buildup stuff like I usually would. Should be a good one though. I feel like a bunch of the top fights here are a) fun matchups style-wise and b) quite difficult to pick a winner in. Looking at that main card, I don’t think any of the 6 fights are certs. Even the ones I’ve got a feeling will go one way, I’m not confident in it. Always makes for a better card. Crowd is gonna be hot for it as well.

I’m thinking Blaydes is gonna spoil the party tonight. It’s a gut feeling I’ve had since this fight was announced and I can’t shake it. As good as Aspinall has looked so far, and he passed a strong test in Volkov with flying colours, this feels like a significantly tougher challenge even from that. Usually Aspinall has been able to dictate where his fights have taken place, as we saw with him taking down and submitting Volkov and Arlovski after success in the striking. That isn’t gonna be so straight forward against a wrestler like Blaydes. And I’d say Blaydes also packs a bigger punch than anyone Big Tom’s faced previously as well. On top of that, Blaydes has also proven he can go 5 rounds, whereas Aspinall’s never even gone past the second round. Don’t get me wrong, I won’t be shocked if Aspinall gets it done tonight. He’s not really put a foot wrong so far and he might be even better than he’s shown. Nobody’s really been able to push him so far so the jury’s still kind of out. We might have seen all there is to see, or maybe he’s got extra gears we haven’t seen yet because he hasn’t had to go to them. Just got a feeling Blaydes is gonna outwrestle him over 5 rounds. I hope I’m wrong. Nothing even against Blaydes but Heavyweight can always do with new blood and Aspinall is one of the best, and let’s be honest one of the only, really promising new faces to come along in the division in recent years. It won’t be the end of the world if he loses tonight, he’ll still be young enough by Heavyweight’s standards to bounce back. But a win tonight would be huge for him and would seriously legitimise him as one of the top contenders in the division. I’d love to see it because he seems a genuinely top bloke.

- Something is telling me Chris Curtis is gonna knock Hermansson out. Don’t know what it is because I actually think Hermansson is the more well rounded and skilled overall of the two, and he’s definitely faced a higher level of opposition. Then add in that Curtis is stepping in on short notice. The logical pick is the ‘Joker’. But there’s something about this one I don’t like for him. Just get the feeling the timing is right for Curtis. He’s almost got nothing to lose here, he’s the guy taking it on short notice, he’s coming in with momentum, he’s experienced enough to where I don’t think the ‘moment’ will swallow him up, he’s confident and he’s heavy handed. And he’ll still be in top nick having just fought recently. It just feels like the recipe for another ‘late replacement fucks shit up’ result. Watch Jack go and flying armbar him in 20 seconds now. Either way, it’s a fun babyface matchup to me.

- Pimblett vs Leavitt is pretty much a total coin flip. Leavitt’s definitely a step up from the couple of stiffs they’ve fed Paddy so far but nothing special and still doesn’t feel like a huge threat. He’s a funny character and I’d love nothing more than to see him derail the Lad here but I’m not confident in it one way or the other. He’s fought a similar level of opposition to Paddy in the UFC really (apart from Puelles who he lost to) and his best win is probably the slam KO on a washed up Matt Wiman. There’s a reason they’ve went with Leavitt as the opponent here, instead of Ottman Azaitar who was the original rumoured fight for Pimblett. After seeing the likes of Vendramini and Vargas crack Paddy early in his first 2 UFC outings, they clearly don’t want him near a big hitter here. And Leavitt has shown very little in the way of punching power so far. From what I’ve seen he’s more of a grappler. Could be a fun one if it’s more of a ground battle, to be honest. I think the matchmakers are probably thinking they’ll cancel each other out in the grappling, it’ll turn into a brawl, Paddy hits harder = another Paddy win and the hype rolls on. I’d love to see it blow up in their face spectacularly. We’ll see. Like I say, not at all confident either way but I’ll go Leavitt, maybe on points, just because it’s the result I want. I know some are rooting for Paddy so we see a bigger fight against a better opponent but I don’t think Paddy’s got any intention of fighting the Topurias and Azaitars and guys like that. If he wins tonight, all we’ll get is another few months of waffle about stadiums, fans hyping him up as some massive star, fat selfies, Twitter suspensions and then his next fight announced as being against another ham and egger that we’ve barely heard of, who’s just about cracking the Top 30 at Lightweight.

- Krylov vs Gus, again another tossup. Tough one to predict because Gustafsson is a complete wild card at this point. You really can’t have any confidence picking him. Anyone who does is basing it off the Gus we remember, one of the elite 205ers in the world, the guy who took Jones and DC to the wire in epic battles. Problem is I don’t think that guy exists anymore. He hasn’t fought in 2 years now and even that was a failed attempt to make a run at Heavyweight, where he turned up looking like he hadn’t trained at all and got swiftly subbed by Werdum. At least he’s back at 205 for this, and he did look in good shape at the weigh in…

I don’t know though. I just don’t have a good feeling about him. It’s the same feeling I had when Miesha Tate made her comeback. Just feels like a case of ‘too little, too late’. People might point to his age and say 35 isn’t that old but I don’t think it’s so much age with Gus. It just feels like the motivation hasn’t been there for a good few years now. I think when he lost the rematch to Jones so decisively, it might’ve taken something away mentally that just never came back. He hasn’t looked right since. So I’m going with Krylov to win here. Mostly based on my lack of confidence in Gusty than anything else. Krylov is nothing amazing, he’s alright but he’s a guy Gus at his best would batter. But 2022 Gus, I’m just not feeling it. I’d love to be wrong and he goes on some unexpected run now. The 205 division could do with a boost and Gustafsson getting his ‘Eye Of The Tiger’ back for one last run would be a great story. And if he can’t get motivated now, he never will. Because if he was ever gonna finally win that elusive UFC gold, now would be his best chance with Jones and DC out of the picture. The Gustafsson we remember at his best beats all the current top 205ers for me, including the current champ Jiri. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think that Gus is ever coming back but at 35 and with the two main roadblocks in Jones/Cormier out of the way, it’s now or never.

- Meatball Molly vs Hannah Goldy…couldn’t give two fucks. This feels like the MMA equivalent of the pro wrestling piss break match. Sticks out like a sore thumb on that main card but, in fairness, Molly is coming off that crazy unexpected spinning elbow KO on the last London show. So I suppose they felt like she earned a main card spot this time. Fair dos. Haven’t seen enough Goldy to even have a strong feeling on this but I’m guessing the UFC want another night of UK winners ideally so Goldy’s probably not much cop. Meatball on points I’m guessing but I’m dreading it if her and Paddy both win again. They were insufferable last time celebrating like the Mega Powers at WrestleMania, when really they’d just won a couple of squash matches.

- Craig vs Oezdemir, yet again, I’m like a broken record but almost 50/50 for me. My gut feeling is that this’ll go similarly to Volkan’s fight with Anthony Smith a few years ago. Where Volkan gave Smith a right hiding, Smith weathered it then got the submission. That’s a page right out of the Paul Craig playbook and I could see this going the same way. Craig doesn’t seem to get going until he’s nearly TKO’d, then he goes all Big Nog. Seriously, the MMA world loves a mythical character. Cardio Cain, Motivated Conor, Marinovich Penn etc. But Autopilot Zombie Paul Craig might be the scariest of the lot. This could be rough though. And you have to wonder how many times Craig can go to that well and rely on his insane toughness and lethal guard to pull him through. I’ll go Craig by submission but I can’t help think Egg might’ve been onto something as well and this could be one where it all goes wrong for him. Oezdemir has his flaws but he’s a heavy hitter and there’s a limit to how many times those storms can be weathered.

Prelims look really good as well. Highlights being the Mason Jones vs Ludovit Klein, Nathaniel Wood vs Charles Rosa and Muhammad Mokaev vs Charles Johnson fights for me. Hopefully the UK guys come through with wins there. 

Edited July 23, 2022 by wandshogun09

[Egg Shen]

[Egg Shen]

There's probably a lot people thinking the Brit's on this card are all getting lay-ups, the bookies seem to think so too. It's about as lopsided a book as i've seen for a UFC event. Paul Craig is the only Brit on the card going in as an underdog. The rest outside of Aspinall are heavy favourites. I don't see it playing out like that, I think we'll see some shocks here. 

Nothing has changed my mind about the main event. I'm going for Curtis Blaydes. Aspinall is talking a good game again and everyone is on board, but I just need to see what happens when something doesn't go his way. He's been flawless in his UFC run, and I think he runs into a brick wall tonight. I do hope i'm wrong because having Aspinall march on towards a title would be massive for UK MMA but I just can't look past Blaydes. I think the crowd is deflated by the end of round 2 and it whimpers to a finish.

If i'm gonna pick another underdog to win though, i'll take Ludovkit Klein over Mason Jones. It's weirdly short notice, but Jones is gonna come in excited and want to take Klein out in front of that crowd. He's promised he's going to kickbox and watching Ludokvit Klein's highlight reel, I don't think that's a wise thing to do.

Hope Mokaev gets tested a little more too. Never seen Johnson fight but he's got good credentials and is a former LFA Champ so he's no mug. 

Cannot wait!

[Carbomb]

Worst set of results I've ever seen. Fuck's sake.

[TildeGuy~!]

Paddy I don’t mind, Molly needs to fuck off though.

Whacked £100 on Blaydes at 6/4 just before the main event kicked off as I didn’t realise he was the underdog, was bonkers that he was really.  

Edited July 24, 2022 by TildeGuy~!

[kamicazze]

Paddy and Molly to head over stateside to fill ppv cards was mentioned in their post fight presser. Surely there's scope for them being ppv stars here? Had the aspinall train not been so cruelly derailed then he could have been headlining for title shots with till and the Liverpool contingent filling the card.

 

Strange. I don't think Paddy troubles any of the top 15 nor Molly get into the top 5. Even so they're good charismatic characters, and as annoying as they are they deliver some good messages. 

[Dai]

Knowing you need a finish, then jumping guard 30 seconds into R3 is probably the stupidest decision Jones will do in his entire career.

I always find it satisfying when a fighter is giving it large pre match and during the Buffer bit and then lose, and that was the case for the Craig fight. Craig was like Werdum in that first Overeem fight, just falling to the ground all the time. Never a good look, that. Thought Volk implenented to the perfect game plan. Considering the run Craig was on, this was an impressive win, and he looked fairly comfortable during most of it.

Poor Gusty, he looks completley done. Surely hes getting cut soon and Bellator are coming calling. Very sad to see.

Had it ended with the three KO run of Molly/Krylov/Paddy, it would have been a tremendous show. A shame the two fights that followed were very deflating, sending people away on a sour note.

Surely Dana is far too smart to chuck Paddy and Molly on US cards now. Paddy can now clearly headline a show, so thats surely the next step for him, with Molly in the semi main. Hard to argue against that, as theres surely plenty of money to be made in those two fighting 'hand selected' people for their next 3 fights each, both came out of this looking like stars, so they may as well use that for the UK Fight Night shows for the next couple of years.

[Egg Shen]

I'll add some more later, but what a disappointing show. The UFC were never gonna capture lightning in a bottle twice but this was a bit of a comedown from the last one. Molly and Pimblett saved the show really and their stock goes up but it was all fairly flat outside of that. The tension and buzz would build, then the fight wouldn't deliver. It was a night full of either disappointing or safe performance, sometimes both.

 

Edited July 25, 2022 by Egg Shen

[wandshogun09]

Yeah that was a massive letdown. I had a feeling it wouldn’t match the last London show in March, that was one of those nights where pretty much everything went perfectly. Still, I didn’t expect the weird card we got here.

The main event was the cherry on the cake. Or in this case maybe the fly on the turd. Most of the undercard was lacklustre enough so the prospect of a 25 minute Curtis Blaydes humpfest at the end of the night wasn’t the best as it was. Needn’t have worried though. 15 bastard seconds into the fight and Aspinall’s knee went.

Gutted. I had a bad feeling about how this fight was gonna play out anyway but seeing it end like this was so shit. Hopefully this injury isn’t something that plagues Big Tom as his career goes on. Felt sorry for Blaydes as well. Makes the ballsy move of coming all the way over here to fight a surging Aspinall on enemy soil, only for that to happen? Just a crappy situation for all involved.

Blaydes came all the way to the UK and all he got was a hangover.

Not even sure what’s the next move for either now. Fuck knows how long Aspinall’s gonna be on the shelf. I’ve seen people say ‘this couldn’t have happened at a worse time’ and I get what they mean. Aspinall was on the cusp of really breaking into the title mix. But on the other hand, obviously you never want an injury, but maybe this actually happened at the perfect time in a fucked up way. Because Blaydes might’ve derailed him big time. Now there’ll be a layoff and when Aspinall returns, who knows how the Heavyweight landscape will look? He might come back and manage to swerve Blaydes for a bit. Could actually turn out better for him in the long run. We’ll see. But that’s assuming he’ll be the same physically. You never know with knee injuries. As for Blaydes, I’m guessing he’ll get the winner of the upcoming Gane vs Tuivasa fight in Paris.

Hermansson vs Curtis was alright. Nothing amazing but a decent fight. Crowd was dead though having shot their load for Paddy in the previous fight. Hermansson looked good here. He needed a win and, like I said before, I actually think this win does more for him than beating Darren Till would’ve. Despite Till being the bigger name. Here Hermansson beat a guy who was on an 8 fight winning streak and was coming in with momentum and confidence. He outclassed him as well. I like Curtis but he made a bit of a tit of himself here with all the talking in the cage, and especially this…

He’s apologised since and they’ve taken pictures together and stuff, they seem cool. I think it was just the frustration at how the fight was going getting to him in the moment. I was a bit surprised to see how lost Curtis looked at times and how frazzled he sounded in the corner between rounds. It’s not like he’s some rookie. He’s 35 years old and this was his 38th pro fight. Hermansson looked sharp though. Don’t know what’s next. Maybe they just rebook that Till fight but it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense now. I’d do Hermansson vs Andre Muniz and maybe Till vs Uriah Hall as that one’s been brewing for a while now.

Seeing Pad The Lad win is the worst.

🤢

The payoff in the end when he finally gets chinned will be orgasmic. But until then, we’ve got to put up with this. Wasn’t a bad little fight. Had a feeling it’d be much more grappling based than Paddy’s first couple in the UFC, which were just short wild brawls. Leavitt’s more of a grappler and, to be fair, Paddy’s finish was pretty sweet. They mentioned BJ Penn vs Jens Pulver and it was shades of Penn the way he took the back, got the body triangle and trapped one arm as he locked on the choke. I’ve given him more shit than most on here but this was a better win than his first two. Still not a win that matches that hype or talk of him being some mega star though. Sorry. It’s just not. He’ll be an attraction to a certain point, not denying that but, again, I just don’t see it lasting because the second he starts mixing with the better guys in the division, and he will have to start doing that at some point, it’s all going tits up.

All that shite aside, the post-fight interview was touching with him talking about mental health issues and his friend committing suicide. Don’t get me wrong, Paddy’s still a massive dickhead. This doesn’t undo the other horrible shit he’s said and tweeted and all that. But this was a good and important message and it’s always worth repeating, whoever’s delivering it.

Krylov vs Gustafsson was just sad to watch. Like I said in the opening post, Krylov’s not a bad fighter but he’s the kind of opponent a prime Gus would’ve walked through.

😞

Gus actually looked in decent shape here as well, unlike that ill-advised attempt at Heavyweight against Werdum a couple of years back. But Krylov got to him early in the fight, might’ve even been the very first exchange when he decked him the first time. And he just never let Gus recover. I mean, Gus might not actually be as shot as this loss made him look. Out 2 years and then got caught cold early and never got into the fight. But either way, it’s not a good look and it’s hard to see a way back from this. Couldn’t make head or tail of Krylov’s post-fight interview. Who did he call out, I know he was on about a rematch with someone but I couldn’t tell if he was saying Volkan or Walker.

Molly McCann! Fucking hell. I’m not her biggest fan but what’s happened to her? You look back at her record and she went to 6 decisions in a row before the last London card in March. Now she’s suddenly ending fights in brutal fashion?

Christ. That sodding spinning elbow again as well. Fair play. Although, not to piss on everyone’s chips but I do think people need to put wins like this in perspective. As good as the finish was and as nice as it’ll look on the highlight reels, Goldy wasn’t much of an opponent. I hadn’t seen enough of her going in to rate her but she was 6-2 and looked completely lost out there from the off to me. She looked defeated before she ever got in the cage. You could see during the walkout, I think the hostile crowd and the occasion rattled her. Then Molly refused her offer of a touch of gloves at the start and she just looked sad. By the time the first round got underway I think she just wanted a cuddle and some kind words. Instead she got an elbow in the gob and a taste of the canvas.

This Paddy and Molly thing is just an annoyance to me. I understand they’re popular and have a following so I get why they’re always in prominent positions on these cards. At some point though, they’re both gonna have to step up and fight better opposition. I get that the UFC want them winning but what do the wins even mean if the opponents are average at best, and shite at worst? The talk of headlining big cards is all well and good but to do that they’ll have to face someone better than Leavitt and Goldy surely. They can’t stay at this level forever and become these massive stars people are claiming they’ll be. So yeah, it’s not for me but I kind of get their appeal. I guess. Maybe. If nothing else they do liven up a card. But if you’re gonna talk a big game like Paddy and Molly do, you can’t just keep fighting opposition like this. Molly especially here made me laugh, banging on in her post-fight interview about the other fighters on the card being boring and “not wanting it enough”, as if she hasn’t gone to a load of dull decisions in the not too distant past. She’s had 2 (admittedly ace) finishes and all of a sudden she thinks she’s Wanderlei Silva. Get out.

Oezdemir vs Craig was a funny one. Craig was giving Volkan nightmares in that first round. Every time Volkan went near him he got tangled up in something and had to work to get himself out of bother. As it went on though, Craig seemed to fade and all that flopping to his back trying to bait Volkan to follow him to the mat probably didn’t look good in the judges eyes. It was clear what he was trying to do a lot of the time but it’s a risky game to play because you can also appear as if you’re hurt or exhausted and it just looks like the other guy is more in control than he is. I didn’t score it closely but I did think Volkan won. Not 30-27 though. I definitely had Craig winning that first round, Oezdemir was on the defence the whole 5 minutes from what I remember. Closer than the scorecards made it seem.

Prelims were so-so.

Enjoyed Ludovit Klein vs Mason Jones to be fair. Both were landing some good stuff in that one but Klein just got the better of the bulk of it.

Loved that. Shame to see really but Jones’ UFC run isn’t panning out, is it? He’s still young enough to turn things around but in 4 fights he’s had 1 win, 2 losses and a No Contest for eye pokes. Considering he came in undefeated it’s a bit of a drop off. I know we were all clamouring for the UFC to get him on this card but, in hindsight, the way it was all thrown together last minute, maybe it wasn’t a good idea for Jones. There were rumblings for a while that they were trying to get him a fight but as late as a few weeks out it didn’t look like it was gonna happen. Then this fight pops up with a week or so to go. Not ideal. I get why he took it but it was a risk. Obviously he’d have been training just incase but training and not knowing who your opponent will be, or if you’re even gonna be on the card, isn’t the best. Hopefully he gets a full specific camp for his next opponent. This was good stuff from Klein though. Lots of fun fights you can make with him at 155.

Diakiese vs Hadzovic was as flat as a gymnast’s tits. Diakiese discovering and working on his wrestling is a good move for him obviously. It’ll certainly help him as his career progresses. But his last couple of fights have been a bit shite to watch as a result. He’s getting the wins so can’t blame him. But it’s not much fun to watch. Hopefully as he improves more he’ll find the balance between using his wrestling more effectively to compliment his overall MMA game, rather than just wrestling like he’s been doing lately. If he can put it all together it could lead to a lot of finishes for him, I reckon. But it’s clearly still a work in progress.

For me Nathaniel Wood had one of the standout performances of the whole card. I thought he looked fucking great here. Especially given the long layoff, the fact it was his debut at Featherweight and Rosa being so tough and durable. He looked class.

Maybe he should’ve been at 145 all along. Never got the finish but, again, I think that’s more a testament to Rosa’s durability than Wood lacking something. Probably the best Wood’s looked since signing with the UFC for me. He was like a man possessed. Everything I’d been hearing and reading from him during his 2 year spell of inactivity, you could tell he’s been itching to get back in there for a while and it really showed in his performance here. Looked like he was having the time of his life in there.

Muhammad Mokaev continues to look like a legit future problem. The word ‘prospect’ gets slung about willy nilly in combat sports but at just 21 years old, it’s crazy how good this guy looks already.

I’ve seen some criticism of him since Saturday night, people saying it was boring and shite like that. It wasn’t a mega exciting fight but, again, 21. He’s far, far from the finished article. And by all accounts, Charles Johnson was a real opponent. Saw Mokaev on about fighting again at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi next. So that could also be part of why he kind of fought a more safe and calculated fight here. And at this stage in his career, getting 3 rounds in the bank is all experience gained. And good experience as well because he wasn’t getting knocked about himself. Long way to go of course but I like him so far.

Was happy to see Jai Herbert back in the win column as well. Always get the feeling he’s better than his UFC record suggests. Hopefully he’ll be able to start putting some wins together now.

Yeah, not a patch on the March show. Nowhere near. There was some stuff to like here but overall it just felt deflating and the way the main event ended just topped it off on a really sour note. We’ve tried to get tickets for the last few London shows and had no luck. Seems a right bastard trying to get them these days. But to be honest, I’d have been gutted if I paid top dollar for good tickets to this, plus forked out for travel to London, hotels etc, only for it to play out how it did. I know that’s the risk you run with any sporting event, especially combat sports, but I’d have been so disappointed.

To be honest, I hope they go somewhere other than London next time they bring the Octagon over this way. It’s been London every time the last few years. Give another city a chance, for fuck’s sake. If they do, you’ve got to think Liverpool is gonna be a front runner now given the current Paddy and Molly love-in. But Manchester’s been waiting a few years, an Aspinall headliner there would be a no brainer. They’ve not been here to Brum since fucking 2011! Then of course, there’s Ireland and Scotland. They’ve never been to Wales. Just mix it up a bit. They won’t though. Fully expecting them back in London again early 2023.

Oh well, to end on a positive…

“FUCK THE TORIES”.

[Egg Shen]

Paddy and Molly stole the show. I find the whole double-team/friendship thing a bit grating, and it annoys me that Molly McCann is wandering around the o2 like she owns the place, but you can see why the UFC are all in on it. It's a unique double act that clearly resonates with a lot of people. The saving grace is that they put on two show stealing performances of the night. Pimblett especially for being such a polarising character is must-see in cage, there's always adversity but he finds a way. 

The UFC should have put Paddy on the before the main event because Hermansson/Curtis sucked the life out of the arena. Hermansson fought well for 2 rounds but did basically run around for the 3rd. Like wand. i'm surprised Curtis had no answers.

The Paul Craig veered more towards the embarrassing side for me. I know where's he's trying to get the fight where he wants it, but this was a bit of a mess. It didn't help that Oezdemir fought the way he did either. There were moment's when Oezdemir stood up out of guard when he had a clear opportunity to strike Craig to the head and just casually got him without taking. Just a strange old fight. Oezdemir doesn't seem half the fighter he once was.

I think Mason Jones has found his level. He can improve but I think he got to the UFC based off fights where he was better than his opponents at everything, I think he's realised real quick that there are levels to the game. Still, he's never in a dull fight. Klein mad a fan out of me.

Mokaev was impressive, but he was in a guy who neutralised him in terms of threat. Mokaev controlled 95% of the fight but Johnson left without a mark on him, kind of says it all. I'll give Mokaev a pass though.

Mark Diakase killed the o2 dead. Fucking hell, I hope the UFC put him in with a better wrestler so he can't fight like this again. A win's a win, but no one is gonna want to see him again, and he all but booked himself on the prelims next time out.

Gustafsson is shot to shit, so sad to see. Krylov is a one round specialist, but I didn't think he'd walk through Gusty like he did.

Overall, if this is a card that brought in new fans or older fans that have fallen off based off the buzz generated from the last London show, they probably left wondering what all the fuss was about, shame.

 

Edited July 25, 2022 by Egg Shen