The Ultimate Fighting Championships’ long-awaited return to London with UFC Fight Night, Volkov vs Aspinall, blew off the O2 Arena with nine out of the twelve fights ending in stoppage. The sold-out PPV was a success on all fronts with nine finishers earning $50,000 Performance of the Night bonuses making UFC London 2022 the highest-grossing fight in UFC history.
So without further ado, let’s go through some of the highlights from UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs Aspinall.
▶ Molly McCann do anything
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In Molly McCann’s fight against Luana Carolina, the fighter from Liverpool produced something which fans won’t be forgetting anytime soon. In the opening round of the fight, Molly started pressurizing her opponent with some clinical striking which almost took Carolina out. Things slowed down in the second round of the fight but Molly still managed to land big slams to the ovation of the O2 Arena which got her going for the third round. After just 1:52 minutes of round 3, McCann landed a picture-perfect spinning back elbow that slept Carolina and sent the O2 Arena into a frenzy.
▶ Paddy The Baddy shines again
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Paddy ‘The Baddy’ Pimblett has carved out a reputation of taking his licks and doubling up on the return which is exactly what happened at UFC London. Early in round 1, Rodrigo Vargas secured a surprising knockdown which left the crowd stunned. Vargas, who was keen on ending the fight with ground-and-pound strikes took top mount position but Paddy somehow managed to work his way out of the bottom position and ended up taking Vargas’ back. With the support of his adored Englishmen in the O2 Arena, Pimblett locked in a rear-naked choke that led to a first-round submission victory for Paddy Pimblett after just 03:49 minutes of round 1.
▶ Arnold Allen: A threat to the Featherweight Division
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In the co-main event of UFC London, Arnold Allen picked up the biggest win of his MMA career with a first-round knockout finish against the reputed Dan Hooker. Both the fighters came out swinging but it was the Englishman who connected better with his punches. Hooker clipped Allen with a huge right but the fighter from England did not back down and whipped more strikes towards Hooker. Going into the second minute of round 1, the flight slowed down for a moment before Allen stepped up and landed a flurry of punches before the referee waved off the contest to declare Arnold Allen as the winner via TKO/KO after just 2:33 minutes of round 1.
▶ Tom Aspinall is main-event material
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In his first-ever main-event fight, Tom Aspinall proved himself as a legitimate UFC Heavyweight division title contender in front of his home nation. Aspinall took control of the fight right from the start, canceling out Volkov’s height and reach advantage. The Brit MMA star landed a sweet boxing combination before taking Volkov to the canvas. This takedown set up a series of arm submission attacks by Aspinall and in the end, he was ultimately able to lock in a straight arm lock, which prompted a tap by Volkov after 03:45 minutes of round 1.
[Featured Image Credit: UFC]
Shashank Iyer