Tom Aspinall delivered a star-making performance in the main event of UFC London as he finished longtime heavyweight contender and former Bellator heavyweight champion Alexander Volkov via first-round submission at the O2 Arena.
Aspinall looked as cool as a cucumber throughout fight week, and carried that state of mind into his main event bout with six-foot-eight Volkov, who has proved a tough test for many an up-and-coming contender over the years.
However, Aspinall looked like a man ready to go all the way to the top as he delivered a near flawless performance to dominate, then finish Volkov in less than four minutes.
Aspinall started out hammering Volkov with powerful leg kicks, while switching stances and giving the Russian constantly changing looks in the early stages.
Then, while he had Volkov guessing, Aspinall stepped in and scored a beautiful trip takedown, before going on to hammer his man with ground and pound and briefly threatening with a Kimura.
But, the action eventually returned to the feet, and Aspinall made sure there was no respite for Volkov as he immediately pushed the pace on his opponent, walking him back against the cage with well-placed strikes, including a pair of superb jabs that snapped back Volkov’s head.
Volkov attempted to respond with a head kick, but Aspinall saw it coming and expertly leant away from the strike before immediately responding with a perfectly-timed takedown.
This time Volkov wouldn’t be allowed back up, as Aspinall went to work on the mat with more ground strikes before eventually isolating Volkov’s left arm and forcing the tap to a straight armbar.
Aspinall’s superb victory continued his remarkable rise up the UFC’s heavyweight division and, after chatting about his performance with Michael Bisping in the octagon, the heavyweight contender issued a callout to a fellow crowd-pleasing contender, Australia’s Tai Tuivasa.
UFC London: Official Results
MAIN CARD
- Tom Aspinall def. Alexander Volkov via submission (straight armbar) – Round 1, 3:44
- Arnold Allen def. Dan Hooker via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 2:33
- Paddy Pimblett def. Kazula Vargas via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:49
- Gunnar Nelson def. Takashi Sato via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)
- Molly McCann vs. Luana Carolina via knockout (spinning back elbow) – Round 3, 1:52
- Ilia Topuria def. Jai Herbert via knockout (punch) – Round 2, 1:07
PRELIMINARY CARD
- Makwan Amirkhani def. Mike Grundy via submission (anaconda choke) – Round 1, 0:57
- Sergei Pavlovich def. Shamil Abdurakhimov via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:03
- Paul Craig def. Nikita Krylov via submission (triangle choke) – Round 1, 3:57
- Jack Shore def. Timur Valiev via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-27)
- Elise Reed def. Cory McKenna via split decision (27-30, 29-28, 29-28)
- Muhammad Mokaev def. Cody Durden via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 0:58
