UFC London 2022 predictions: How will Tom Aspinall and Paddy The Baddy’s fights play out this weekend?

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Saturday night time will mark the UFC’s second journey to London in simply 4 months, with March’s scintillating version of the occasion forcing blended martial arts’ flagship promotion right into a speedy return.

Tom Aspinall, Paddy Pimblett and a number of British fighters secured assertion wins at UFC London in March, sending the O2 Enviornment into raptures on a night that broke Combat Evening and O2 Enviornment information.

Aspinall’s first-round submission of Alexander Volkov that night time has earned him one other main-event spot this Saturday, with Curtis Blaydes set to face throughout the Octagon from the British heavyweight in what might be a conflict to crown a No 1 contender.

Pimblett, in the meantime, was arguably the star on the O2 Enviornment in March, in the course of the first version of UFC London since 2019. The Liverpudlian light-weight will tackle Jordan Leavitt right here as he appears to additional construct his profile.

Right here’s all it is advisable to learn about a stacked card.

When is it?

UFC London takes place on Saturday 23 July on the O2 Enviornment.

The prelims will start at 5pm BST, with the primary card following at 8pm. Ring walks for the primary occasion are anticipated to happen at roughly 10pm.

How can I watch it?

Paddy Pimblett despatched the O2 Enviornment into raptures in March

(Getty Photographs)

The cardboard will air stay on BT Sport within the UK, with the broadcaster’s app and web site additionally streaming the fights.

Within the US, ESPN+ will stream the motion stay, as will the UFC’s Combat Move.

Odds

Aspinall – 4/6; Blaydes – 11/10

Pimblett – 4/11; Leavitt – 15/8

Full odds right here, through Betfair.

Predictions

Aspinall is dealing with his hardest check but, however his trajectory and performances to this point means that he’ll be capable of utilise his eclectic skillset to discover a well beyond Blaydes. All three of Blaydes’ skilled losses have come through knockout, although all had been in opposition to heavier hitters than Aspinall (Derrick Lewis as soon as and Francis Ngannou twice). The American has a grappling benefit, so count on Aspinall to maintain the struggle standing and don’t be stunned if he outpoints Blaydes; if the Briton is to cease the vacationer, it should probably be by way of voluminous strikes reasonably than a one-punch KO.

Pimblett is equally taking up his most harmful opponent to this point, and the Liverpudlian has been in worrying positions in each of his UFC outings – significantly when he was dropped in his most up-to-date struggle. As such, “Paddy The Baddy”’s declare of “Scousers don’t get knocked out” looks like it might in the future come again to hang-out him, however Leavitt has achieved most of his wins through submission. Subsequently, it’s within the grappling exchanges that the American will supply the best menace right here. If Pimblett could make the bout a placing affair, he might effectively report a scrappy knockout as he did in his UFC debut. That mentioned, he too has a major variety of submission wins, so sticking to placing could be a tactic influenced by his benefit in that realm – not due to any drawback in grappling.

Full card

UFC heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes

(Getty Photographs)

Curtis Blaydes vs Tom Aspinall (heavyweight)

Jack Hermansson vs Chris Curtis (middleweight)

Paddy Pimblett vs Jordan Leavitt (light-weight)

Nikita Krylov vs Alexander Gustafsson (gentle heavyweight)

Molly McCann vs Hannah Goldy (ladies’s flyweight)

Paul Craig vs Volkan Oezdemir (gentle heavyweight)

Prelims

L’udovit Klein vs Mason Jones (light-weight)

Marc Diakiese vs Damir Hadzovic (light-weight)