Sport
UFC London: Top British prospects to have their time in the limelight
It’s been nearly a three-year wait, but it should all be worth it for British MMA fans who are set to be treated to a mouth-watering UFC card at the O2 in London this Saturday.
Alexander Volkov v Tom Aspinall headlines one of the stronger cards we’ve seen on these shores in recent years, with fighters like Paddy Pimblett, Dan Hooker and Gunnar Nelson all due to step in the octagon in the capital.
Alexander Volkov v Tom Aspinall
Tom Aspinall has been on a tear-up since moving to the UFC in July 2020, going on a four-fight win-streak, featuring three KOs and one submission, demonstrating exactly how you make yourself headline material four fights into your UFC career. Aspinall is 2/1 to put another KO on his resume against Alexander Volkov on Saturday.
Things won’t be so straight forward for the young British fighter though. Volkov is a formidable opponent, who may even see this fight as a step down in quality. The Russian has been mixing it up with some of the biggest names in heavyweight MMA for the last 10 years. Wins over the likes of Alistair Overeem, Fabricio Werdum and Roy Nelson give Volkov a credibility that makes this such a big fight for Aspinall.
Despite packing punching power that can turn a fight in seconds, Volkov may be vulnerable if Aspinall can take the fight the distance. Five of Volkov’s nine losses have all been at the hands of judges, with two of those losses coming in his last six fights. Aspinall to win by decision is 4/1.
Picking up three Performance of the Night bonuses in just four fights, Aspinall has shown exactly why he has fast-tracked his way to headlining such a large event in his homeland. Dana White also confirmed this week that a win here against the #6 ranked heavyweight will see Aspinall move to #5 himself and will be on the path to a title shot. Aspinall is the 8/11 favourite for victory, with Volkov priced at 11/10.
Paddy Pimblett v Kazula Vargas
Featured slightly further down the card, Paddy Pimblett is one of a new generation of British fighters that the UFC will be hoping can become household names in the UK. Joining the UFC to quite a lot of fanfare, Pimblett was given the fairly generous opponent in Luigi Vendramini (1-2 UFC).
That being said, Vendramini did manage to get the better of Pimblett in the early exchanges and for a moment the possibility of an upset was on the cards. However, the scouse striker found his composure to get back into the fight and finished his opponent in convincing fashion in the opening round.
Although he started his time with the UFC with a win, the opening couple of minutes may have put a bit of a question mark around Pimblett’s ability and where his ceiling could be, so this fight on British soil against Kazula Vargas on Saturday is a chance for The Baddy to put a flag down and justify the hype that surrounds him.
With something to prove, Pimblett is 6/4 to finish his opponent in the opening round, and an interesting 10/1 to end things in the final round. He is also the 1/5 favourite for victory by any means.
