MMAOB staff writer Adam Martin takes a deeper look at the main event of UFC London, a five-round heavyweight bout between Curtis Blaydes and Tom Aspinall. The event takes place on Saturday, July 23 at the O2 Arena in London, England.
Tom Aspinall (-130)
Aspinall (12-2) is the No. 6 ranked heavyweight in the UFC. The 29-year-old Brit is 5-0 in the UFC with notable wins over Andrei Arlovski, Alexander Volkov, and Serghei Spivac. Aspinall has shown he is a well-rounded fighter who is dangerous both on the feet and on the ground. He has big-time knockout power on the feet and he also has submission skills on the ground, which makes him a truly dangerous heavyweight. Given has only lost twice in his career, once by DQ and once by a heel hook, and since joining the UFC, he hasn’t shown any weaknesses. It’s possible that Aspinall could be a future UFC heavyweight champion. If he is able to get past Blaydes and earn the biggest win of his MMA career, it’s possible that we could see Aspinall fighting for the belt sometime in 2023.
Curtis Blaydes (+110)
Blaydes (16-3, 1 NC) is the No. 4 ranked heavyweight in the UFC. The 31-year-old American has been in the UFC since 2016 and since then he has racked up an 11-3, 1 NC record with notable wins over Chris Daukaus, Alistair Overeem, and Jairzinho Rozenstruik. Blaydes is arguably the top wrestler in the division and he also has improved standup on the feet. He has proven that he can take his opponents down and ragdoll them on the mat and dominate the fight. Overall Blaydes has been one of the best heavyweights in the sport for a few years now and he is still in his prime. Other than a few knockout losses, which can happen to any heavyweight, he has been utterly dominant.
Fight Breakdown: This should be an awesome heavyweight fight between two of the best fighters in the division. Blaydes has been one of the best heavyweights in the UFC for the last six years, while Aspinall has made waves since joining the world’s leading MMA promotion two years ago. I’ve bet on both fighters many times during their careers, and both men have come through for the most part with victories. This is obviously not an easy fight to call, hence the near Pick ’em odds, as both men are extremely talented fighters. With Aspinall, it feels like we have something special in the UFC heavyweight division as he’s very young, very well-rounded, and still improving. With Blaydes, we have someone who isn’t that much older but who has a ton of UFC experience. We also know that Blaydes has some of the most dominant wrestling in the division. While Aspinall certainly has a puncher’s chance here and even offers a submission threat, I have to go with the fighter who is the superior wrestler on paper and who is more proven. If Blaydes fights smart, he will use his grappling to take this fight to the floor and either win by decision or by ground and pound.
Prediction: Curtis Blaydes
