Nick Peet: UFC London preview

ON paper, Saturday night’s UFC London main event at the O2 Arena is a complete mismatch.

In the red corner stands Alexander Volkov, the number #6 ranked heavyweight contender in the world, entering his 44th professional contest. A pro since 2009, this will be the sixth time the former champion has featured in a five-round UFC main event.

On his last trip to London, to headline at UFC card in 2018, he picked up a $50,000 performance bonus for knocking out former UFC champion Fabricio Werdum. He’s been there, done it, and has plenty of T-shirts to prove it.

In the blue corner stands Tom Aspinall, a relative novice by comparison. He’s had just 13 fights, has never fought longer than two rounds, has never headlined a UFC event or even started a five-round fight. And, he has never fought in front of more than 1,500 people.

His entire UFC career to date – four fights, all finishes – has played out behind closed doors during the Covid-19 pandemic, with next to no fans in attendance. On Saturday, he’ll ring walk for the main event in front of 20,000 rabid British fans.

So, why have the UFC matchmakers put this main event together?

Quite simply because opportunity knocked and Aspinall, who has run through the lower tier opposition in the world’s toughest fight organisation without breaking a sweat, answered the call.

London Calling! 🇬🇧

Tom Aspinall ready to take the roof off at #UFCLondon this Saturday! pic.twitter.com/8EMYri1Y8V

— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) March 16, 2022

The 28-year-old from Atherton near Wigan has spent a total of 10 minutes and 59 seconds inside the Octagon; three first round finishes and one second round submission. And the guy who extended him was teak-tough former champion Andrei Arlovski.

“It’s like asking a woman who has never had a baby what child birth feels like,” replied Aspinall when asked about whether he’s going to be able to handle the occasion.

Volkov adding: “He’s talked the talk, let’s see if he can walk the walk against one of the best in the division.”

The 33-year-old Russian is a six-foot-seven kickboxer with a strong ground game. Incredibly well rounded, he boasts 22 career knockouts in his 34-9 career. He’s been the five round distance twice in the last two years, albeit losing both.

Aspinall, two inches shorter, has two losses on his 11-2 campaign. The first was back in 2015, submitted in the second, but the second was a disqualification a year later for an illegal downward elbow.

Since, he’s enjoyed six first round knockouts and that one Arlovski submission, reflecting boxing skills honed as a former sparring partner of Tyson Fury. He’s also got a so far relatively unused but high-level ground game having been a lifetime student of his Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt father Andy.

This fight is all about youth vs experience. Can Aspinall deal with the mental demons of fighting in front of a huge crowd on a potential life changing night to compete as impressively has he has done behind closed doors?

Or will Volkov’s experience and durability ensure the Brit is taken to places he’s never been before and hand out a painful lesson?

Critically, Aspinall has the mentality to match his skillset to become a huge star. And whilst I expect Volkov to indeed take him into deep waters, the birth of a genuine UK UFC heavyweight contender is fast approaching.

TIP: Aspinall by Sub/TKO