The Final Preventing Championship (UFC) will as soon as once more enterprise away from the familiarity of its APEX facility and ship its forged and crew throughout the pond for the following UFC London combat card, locked and loaded for tomorrow afternoon (Saturday July 22, 2023) from contained in the O2 Enviornment in London, England, with a heavyweight headliner between hometown hero Tom Aspinall and Polish powerhouse Marcin Tybur a. Like most weekly “Struggle Night time” playing cards, you may want an ESPN+ subscription to stream this weekend’s occasion stay (join right here).
Earlier than diving into the primary and co-main occasions, which embrace the flyweight showdown between Molly McCann and Julija Stoliarenko, take a look at Patrick Stumberg’s preliminary card breakdowns right here and right here. Moreover, fighter-turned-writer Andrew Richardson did many of the heavy lifting for the remainder of the UFC London fundamental card right here.
For the newest “Aspinall vs. Tybura” odds and betting strains courtesy of our tax pals at Draft Kings, go right here.
Let’s discuss store.
265 kilos: Tom Aspinall vs. Marcin Tybura
Tom Aspinal
Register: 12-3 | Age: 30 | guess line: -520
Received: 9 KO/TKO, 3 SUB, 0 DEC | Losses: 1 KO/TKO, 1 SUB, 0 DEC, 1 DQ
Peak: 6’5“ | Attain: 78” | Place: Orthodox
Excessive strokes per minute: 7.41 | Placing precision: 65%
Strikes absorbed per minute: 2.87 | hanging protection: 64%
Withdrawal Common: 4.00 (100% accuracy) | Protection in opposition to withdrawal: 100%
Present rating: No. 5 | Final Stand: Loss by technical knockout in opposition to Curtis Blaydes
Marcin “Tybur” Tybura
Register: 24-7 | Age: 37 | guess line: +380
Received: 9 KO/TKO, 6 SUB, DEC 9 | Losses: 4 KO/TKO, 0 SUB, 3 DEC
Peak: 6’3“ | Attain: 78” | Place: Orthodox
Excessive strokes per minute: 3.55 | Placing precision: 48%
Strikes absorbed per minute: 3.31 | hanging protection: 55%
Withdrawal Common: 1.39 (accuracy 33%) | Protection in opposition to withdrawal: 79%
Present rating: No. 10 | Final Stand: Unanimous victory over Blagoy Ivanov
Tom Aspinall is again after a 12 months on the sidelines, rehabilitating a devastating knee damage that ended his combat in opposition to Curtis Blaydes simply 15 seconds into their five-round affair. It was an enormous disappointment to lose Aspinall at such a essential time within the heavyweight division – with all of the Francis Ngannou drama – but it surely additionally left us unclear about the place the massive Brit matches within the 265-pound title image. His efficiency in opposition to longtime contender Alexander Volkov was distinctive, I simply suppose we nonetheless have some unanswered questions heading into UFC London; particularly, how Aspinall will deal with a wrestler of Blaydes’ caliber. What we all know for certain is that Aspinall is an actual heavyweight and never one other 205-pound heavyweight with heavy palms and a crap weight loss program posing as a heavyweight. Aspinall is 6ft 5in with an imposing physique and has energy. Complementing his strike is a sneaky submission sport that not solely exploited Volkov but additionally changed Andrei Arlovski, who is nice at fight Sambo and no slouch on the court docket. It might be a tricky process to return and rewatch Aspinall’s UFC fights to search out some sort of weak point. He lands a ridiculous 7.1 important blows per minute with an much more ridiculous 65% hitting accuracy. He additionally landed each takedown he ever tried and stuffed each takedown that ever got here his approach. I do know a variety of promising prospects are overrated, however Aspinall has the numbers to show it.
Bringing him again in opposition to Marcin Tybura feels a bit like a lay-up, an try to reintroduce Aspinall into the present title image and ship London followers residence pleased. That is to not say disrespecting the Polish challenger as he is gained seven of his final eight matches and confronted among the finest heavyweights on this planet. However, 5 of his final seven wins have all come by choice and his two finishes had been in opposition to Greg Hardy and Walt Harris…not precisely the crème de la crème – though each had been adequate for post-fight efficiency bonuses price $50,000 apiece. Most of Tybura’s success has come from his wrestling, having crushed 9 opponents in his seven-year UFC profession, with solely Alexander Romanov and Luis Henrique getting the higher of him in that division. Curiously sufficient, he nonetheless gained each of these fights. Tybura’s success in opposition to Aspinall will little question depend upon how effectively he can use stated wrestle to neutralize the strike. There isn’t any method to put it properly: Aspinall is a superior ahead who throws extra quantity, lands extra punches, and will get hit far lower than Tybura, by a significantly vast margin. And there isn’t any approach the Pole’s coaches could be snug having ‘Tybur’ – who was knocked out by Shamil Abdurakhimov – staying within the pocket to commerce leather-based.
The large query for me is how effectively Aspinall’s takedown protection will maintain up after knee surgical procedure. I’ve different reservations about his energy and agility, I simply do not wish to begin waving the white flag on a 30-year-old athlete getting a world-class restoration on the promotion’s Efficiency Institute. I feel we go into this combat anticipating the identical Aspinall who went into the Blaydes combat, and that is unhealthy information for Tybura. Search for just a few failed takedowns adopted by a British blitzkrieg. A end within the first lap wouldn’t shock me.
Prediction: Aspinall beats. Tybrua by technical knockout
125 kilos: Molly McCann vs. Julija Stoliarenko
“Meatballs” Molly McCann
Register: 13-5 | Age: 33 | guess line: -225
Received: 6 KO/TKO, 0 SUB, DEC 7 | Losses: 0 KO/TKO, 2 UNDER, 3 DEC
Peak: 5’4“ | Attain: 62” | Place: Orthodox
Excessive strokes per minute: 5.72 | Placing precision: 50%
Strikes absorbed per minute: 4.90 | hanging protection: 63%
Withdrawal Common: 1.67 (accuracy 35%) | Protection in opposition to withdrawal: 44%
Present rating: Uncategorized | Final Stand: Submission loss in opposition to Erin Blanchfield
Julija Stoliarenko
Register: 10-7-2 | Age: 30 | guess line: +190
Received: 0 KO/TKO, 9 SUB, 1 DEC | Losses: 3 KO/TKO, 1 SUB, 3 DEC
Peak: 5’7“ | Attain: 66” | Place: Orthodox
Excessive strokes per minute: 2.75 | Placing precision: 41%
Strikes absorbed per minute: 4.61 | hanging protection: 44%
Withdrawal Common: 0.70 (25% accuracy) | Protection in opposition to withdrawal: 62%
Present rating: Uncategorized | Final Stand: Defeat by technical knockout in opposition to Chelsea Chandler
Molly McCann already has 10 fights in her UFC profession over a five-year span and began with little to no fanfare, because of a lackluster 3-3 report with 5 of these contests going all the way in which. Then “Meatball” made an absolute tear, profitable three straight fights with three consecutive efficiency bonuses. But it surely was his back-to-back knockout wins over Luana Carolina and Hannah Goldy — each of which befell in entrance of an area of screaming hometown followers — that despatched McCann into the stratosphere. Along with his recognition at an all-time excessive and nudging fellow Cage Warriors exports Paddy Pimblett and Conor McGregor, there was discuss of a possible title shot. Sadly, the celebration got here to an abrupt finish by the hands of once-beaten flyweight contender Erin Blanchfield, who’s at the moment ranked No. 3 at 125 kilos. That loss, coupled along with his loss to Taila Santos (who’s tied with Blanchfield at No. 3) demonstrated that McCann just isn’t but prepared to hold on to the division’s High 5, or even perhaps the High 10. Regardless, the Liverpool native is a high-volume striker who beats most (however not all) of his opponents and identical to Aspinall, has obtained a good reserving for his return to O2 in London.
I am really a bit stunned that Julija Stoliarenko continues to be round. She was first launched to UFC followers by means of The Final Fighter (TUF) 28 in the summertime of 2018, shedding to Pannie Kianzad within the semifinals. Stoliarenko would return for the present’s stay finale and dropped a cut up choice to Leah Letson, sending her again to the worldwide circuit. 5 straight wins with 4 finishes was sufficient to earn a recall from the UFC and as soon as once more Stoliarenko would falter within the huge spot. Coming into this combat, the 30-year-old Lithuanian is 1-5 beneath the UFC banner and is coming off a technical loss to Chelsea Chandler at UFC Vegas 61. I do not suppose there’s an argument that the matchmakers threw one at McCann, anticipating her to dope him. This doesn’t imply that the combat in opposition to Stoliarenko is with out threat. The submission risk stays and McCann may have each peak (3”) and attain (4”) disadvantages in opposition to the previous featherweight. Plus, Stoliarenko solely wanted one takedown to convey Jessica-Rose Clark to the bottom and submit her at UFC 276. None of this shall be late-breaking information for McCann, whom I count on to stroll by means of Stoliarenko with a steadiness of quantity and aggression. She’s additionally going to have the roar of the group behind her and from what we have seen of “Meatball” when linked, it is prone to take greater than a UFC 1-5 fighter to cease her.
Prediction: McCann beats. Stoliarenko by technical knockout
Remember that the remainder of the UFC London fundamental card predictions are RIGHT HERE.
MMAmania.com will present stay, round-by-round, blow-by-blow protection of the whole UFC London combat card HEREbeginning with the ESPN+ preliminary card fights at 12 p.m. ET, adopted by the ESPN+ fundamental card begin time 3 p.m. ET.
For the newest and best information and notes from UFC London, make sure to take a look at our full occasion archive right here. For the up to date and finalized “Aspinall vs Tybura” combat card and ESPN+ lineup, click on right here.
