It was supposed to be Tom Aspinall’s big night. A coming-out party against UFC heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes in his home country at the O2 Arena in London. Their five-round main event promised fireworks. Two big-hitters on the cusp of a title opportunity. It was over in 15 seconds. For Aspinall, the ramifications would last for a year.
15 seconds into the fight, a seemingly innocuous two-punch combination from Blaydes barely glanced Aspinall. The Manchester fighter took evasive action but fell to the ground holding his knee. The fight was stopped and Blaydes declared the winner mere seconds into the London main event. That ruling, a quirk of UFC rules, will have hurt. But the long-term damage was the real concern for a fighter who had enjoyed an immense sense of momentum in recent times.
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The damage was severe. Aspinall suffered a torn MCL, torn meniscus and damaged ACL. In an interview with UFC.com, the upbeat fighter joked, “The last time I went this long without punching something, I was 14 years old”. But he would eventually get that chance against Marcin Tybura in July of this year. Aspinall returned to the scene of the crime at the O2 Arena in London hoping this time, his heavyweight main event would end in joy rather than heartbreak.
Former M-1 Global heavyweight king Tybura was a worthy but not insurmountable foe. Not a noted knockout artist, he had begun stringing stoppages together before Alexander Volkov beat him in 2021. Tybura had racked up two decision victories since and held the 10th position in the heavyweight rankings.
Aspinall was up to fifth in the ratings as he edged towards his goal of becoming the first British UFC Heavyweight Champion in history. The reigning kingpin was pound-for-pound great Jon Jones. It is a fight Aspinall called “a dream fight” on social media and one he would relish “when I deserve it”. After being robbed of a year of his career, Aspinall knew he couldn't afford to slip up against Tybura if he was to prove deserving of such a bout.
The British big man had been in the form of his life before the Blaydes setback. 5-0 in the UFC with every opponent stopped before the final bell. The likes of ex-champion Andrei Arlovski and current seventh-ranked contender Alexander Volkov were dealt with in impressive fashion. Finally, it seemed, Britain had a heavyweight worthy of replicating the achievements of Leon Edwards at welterweight and Michael Bisping at middleweight. Perhaps Britain could have a UFC Heavyweight Champion to call its own.
The knee injury put paid to that, at least for now. But a strong showing in London got the train back on-track. The Wiganer stopped Tybura in the first round of the London main event. As if wreaking all his pent-up frustration upon his opponent, Aspinall closed the show in just 73 seconds. Operation: Champion was back on.
It hasn't arrived in the way Aspinall hoped when talking about that Jones dream fight. The UFC heavyweight champion is injured, having pulled out of a bout with Stipe Miocic that was meant to headline this pay-per-view. Instead, Aspinall meets the devastating knockout artist Sergei Pavlovich.
It is as tough a fight as he could have asked for, but Aspinall didn't overcome that potentially career-ending injury for an easy ride. The Brit will feel his greatest challenge has already been conquered. Fightng is the easy bit, the bit that has always come naturally. Against Pavlovich, Aspinall is in for the fight of his life.
*18+ | BeGambleAware | Odds Subject To Change
