UFC London: Tom Aspinall vs Curtis Blaydes fight preview, betting odds and final prediction
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Tom Aspinall- Curtis Blaydes
UFC London is back to the 02 Arena, London for the second time in this year and England’s very own Tom Aspinall is headlining the event, yet again! Aspinall is the #6 fighter in the UFC’s heavyweight division and also the first English heavyweight to headline a UFC event or even grab as much media attention as he is getting now. Aspinall is on a 5 fight win streak in the UFC since his debut and his last win comes as the biggest of his career as he finished a former Bellator MMA heavyweight champion Alexander Volkov via first-round submission in an Americana hold.
Aspinall is facing longtime UFC heavyweight Curtis Blaydes who is currently ranked #4. Blaydes is a seasoned wrestler with underrated and dangerous striking who’s known for his wins over the likes of Alistair Overeem, Junior Dos Santos, Alexander Volkov, Chris Daukaus, Jairzinho Rozenstruik and many more. Blaydes has been fighting at the top of the heavyweight competition in the UFC for more than 6 years now.
Tom Aspinall vs Curtis Blaydes: Fight preview
Aspinall is a fierce knockout artist, who’s got professional boxing experience and is also a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, so more or less, he has got the complete game of a mixed martial artist intact with him. One thing on the feet, he is extremely fast. Aspinall’s hands go like a fighter from a lighter weight class and throw those combinations of one-two like a flash, he really keeps himself light on his feet so that he can move in and out easily of the offence range.
To put it simply, Aspinall shows dexterity in his strikes like that of former interim-UFC heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane, but unlike Gane Aspinall so far has put less emphasis on diversifying his strikes and sticking to his basics of throwing well-executed punches, with low kicks and elbows in his secret arsenal. Also, do not miss him out on his submission skills as that’s what Aspinall put Andrei Arlovski out with, an unpredictable yet perfectly timed rear-naked choke by baiting his opponent to beware of his incredible striking.
Curtis Blaydes on the other hand is also a very fierce boxer that likes to rely on his one-two a lot, but only to land an unpredictably huge takedown after which Blaydes is all about the ground and pound over his opponents. Blaydes’ elbows whilst securing the top position are often what cause trouble to his opponents.
Look at his win over Alistair Overeem and you will realise in a matter of time how brutal a heavy weight on top of you can get. But looking at his fights against Junior Dos Santos and Chris Daukaus, Blaydes can land some good night shots whilst staying on his feet as well. Overall this fight is possibly the most competitive fight that has been made by the UFC matchmakers in the heavyweight division.
Tom Aspinall vs Curtis Blaydes: Betting odds and Final prediction
By the official UFC website, Aspinall is a -130 favourite over Blaydes who’s a +110 underdog.
Final Prediction: Tom Aspinall to defeat Curtis Blaydes via submission in the third round
Aspinall has told in his interview with UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping that for this fight, he has pushed himself to the limits he has never been pushed before and therefore is looking forward to resolving what he thinks is the biggest challenge of his professional career. Also, with Aspinall being the younger fighter, UFC stats claim that the probability of the younger fighter winning is nearly two-thirds.
Also Read: “See if you can Stop me” Muhammad Mokaev openly challenges Charles Johnson to stop his takedowns
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Abhai Singh Tanwar
(1386 Articles Published)