UFC London: About Last Night...
Looking at what transpired and what it all means from a load card at The O2 Arena in London
This return to London has been a long time coming, and as I told the fellas from Severe MMA on Wednesday, you could feel the electricity coming through the television on Saturday afternoon.
Nothing compares to a UFC live event, and they’re especially tremendous with a passionate crowd in the building, and that was the case at The O2 Arena, as the fans were in attendance and in full throat from the opening bout to the final bell.
Here’s a look at what transpired and what it could mean going forward.
One Way Traffic
Tom Aspinall ran through Alexander Volkov, battling the Russian on the deck before taking him down for a second time and wrapping up the submission win. The big man from Atherton made it look easy, hitting a couple clean takedowns, landing heavy ground-and-pound off the first one and completing the straight armbar to finish the fight off the second.
No one has dominated Volkov in that manner — not in the UFC, not in Bellator, not when he was first getting started — which tells you how talented the 28-year-old ascending heavyweight is and what kind of future he could have going forward.
This is precisely the reason you want to see fights like this, especially in a spot like this: Aspinall showed more of his game, answered questions about how he would manage with an experienced, dangerous veteran, and capitalizes on being in his first main event, at home at that. Anyone that wasn’t sold on his standing as one of the top emerging threats in the division has no reason to continue doubting him after this one, and should be hyped to see him compete again soon.
Things in the division are wide open at the moment with champ Francis Ngannou having just undergone surgery earlier in the week, so there are key matchups to be made to further delineate things in the ranks ahead of his inevitable return, and Aspinall has to be included in those top-end pairings in the second half of the year. He called out Tai Tuivasa, which would make a lot of sense, but there’s a fight I’d like even more… and I’ll talk about it tomorrow on The Next Day Takeaways.
Statement Effort from Arnold Allen
Stationed in the co-main event of the evening and facing his toughest test to date, Arnold Allen delivered an absolute blistering effort on Saturday, taking out Dan Hooker in under a round.
Hooker pressed forward out of the chute and Allen happily engaged with him on the feet, stinging the New Zealand native early, kicking off a flurry of action. While Hooker connected with a clean shot of his own in the midst of the battle, Allen stayed pressing forward and connecting with big shots, bloodying Hooker’s nose and hurting him every time he landed. Referee Dan Movahedi gave Hooker every chance to recover and battle back, but Allen stayed on the offensive, putting away “The Hangman” three seconds beyond the midway point of the opening frame.
This was a statement win from the emerging featherweight, who is now 9-0 in the UFC and riding an 11-fight winning streak overall. The 28-year-old from Suffolk was already stationed inside the Top 10 and should move up a notch or two following this effort. More importantly, he should land himself another marquee assignment next time out, perhaps against Calvin Kattar, whom he politely called out on Saturday.
Allen is yet another example of a fighter with tremendous results that doesn’t get the attention he deserves. He’s a phenomenal talent with a great personality, he just doesn’t run around talking junk and acting a fool, and that keeps him out of the spotlight. But this performance leaves people no choice but to sit up, take notice, and start putting some respect on Allen’s name.
“Paddy the Baddy” Makes a Layup
Paddy Pimblett collected a first-round submission win over Kazula Vargas on Saturday in what always felt like a wide open, breakaway layup for the Liverpool native from the time it was booked.
The boisterous Scouser got clipped with the first real right hand Vargas threw, prompting Pimblett to look to wrestle. Vargas remained in top position for a piece, but once Pimblett got back to his feet, the promising lightweight hit a nice hip toss, clambered onto Vargas’ back and sunk in the rear-naked choke.
There is something undeniably magnetic about Pimblett — the crowd was hyped for his entrance, everyone seems to love the kid — but it remains to be seen if he can handle himself against legitimate lightweight competition. He lost to the two best fighters he faced during his Cage Warriors run (and Cameron Else early) and has gotten touched up in each of his first two UFC starts against guys that are a combined 2-6 inside the Octagon, so while the hype is through the roof and the excitement surrounding him is massive, I want to see if he can prove himself to be more than a popular fighter with a limited ceiling in the not too distant future.
Chances are he’s going to keep getting slow played — why would the UFC risk this at this point? — but with each appearance, the pressure will continue to mount, and it’ll be interesting to see how far Pimblett can actually take things in the UFC.
Welcome Back
Gunnar Nelson returned for the first time well over two years on Saturday, dominating the action on the canvas against Takashi Sato for all three rounds to secure his first victory since December 2018.
The Icelandic grappler, who got a ton of hype and marquee opportunities during his initial come-up in the UFC, logged valuable time in the cage, getting the better of Sato in every frame and spending large amount of time strapped to his back like a Jansport, softening the Japanese fighter up with short, irritating punches while constantly searching for chokes. He couldn’t find the finish, but getting 15 minutes on the mats is probably more important for Nelson at this point after such a lengthy layoff.
Nelson has yet to earn a real marquee victory inside the Octagon, but has always been a dangerous talent just outside the Top 15, and showed he’s still deserving of a place in that chasing pack, despite the time off. He’s a menace on the canvas and the kind of measured, fluid fighter that could be a problem for anyone looking to use him as a stepping stone going forward.
What’s going to be interesting to see is if Nelson can finally cobble together the kind of wins that move him back into the Top 15 and move him towards championship contention.
Molly McCann by Judas Effect
“Meatball” Molly McCann closed out her homecoming fight in London by hitting Chris Jericho’s pro wrestling finisher, a spinning back elbow he calls “The Judas Effect,” and it was bloody well perfect.
The beloved British flyweight came out of the gates firing, stinging Brazil’s Luana Carolina throughout much of the first round, running off the energy from her walkout and the partisan crowd cheering her on. She slowed a little, but still controlled the action in the second, and when Carolina came out looking to engage in the third, McCann lined up and delivered the masterful spinning back elbow that put her lights out in a flash.
There are more accomplished fighters from Britain and better prospects from Britain, but there isn’t a more beloved fighter from Britain than McCann, who is all heart and passion, all the time. She’s continued to refine her skills in the cage and has now earned consecutive victories following a two-fight skid, but more than anything, the Scouse fan favourite has solidified her place as a main card fixture any time the UFC travels to the United Kingdom from here on out.
Different Division, Same Result
Ilia Topuria jumped on a short-notice opportunity up at lightweight after getting scratched from a bout with Charles Jourdain at ‘45 earlier in the year and maintained his unbeaten record, weathering a rugged opening frame to rally and finish Jai Herbert early in the second.
Herbert came out pumping the jab and using his length, sitting Topuria down with a massive high kick early in the fight. Not only did Topuria not go out, but he popped right back up and forced Herbert to grapple, dragging him to the canvas and garnering valuable recovery time in top position. When they got back to their feet, Herbert continued to land clean shots, dislodging Topuria’s gum shield, and sending him to the corner down a frame.
In the second, Topuria came out pressing the action and walking down Herbert, backing the British veteran into the fence where they let go of their hands. Topuria got the better of things, digging a hard left to the body that froze Herbert momentarily, giving “El Matador” a chance to uncork a right hand over the top that put Herbert all the way out.
The 25-year-old Georgian, who trains in Alicante, Spain, is now 12-0 overall with three straight stoppage wins inside the Octagon. He’s still best suited to competing at featherweight given his size (he’s 5’7” with a 69” reach), but showed on Saturday that he’s got the skills, power, and toughness to find success up in weight if that’s the future holds.
Preliminary Card Thoughts
Makwan Amirkhani made quick work of Mike Grundy in Saturday’s final preliminary card fight, locking onto an anaconda choke instantly as Grundy shot in for a takedown off the hop, snapping a three-fight losing streak in the process.
Eschewing his usual hurried approach to start his fights, Amirkhani patiently came forward at the outset, with Grundy instantly ducking down and driving forward for a single leg. But he let his neck exposed and Amirkhani immediately fished the arm under the neck, grasped his bicep, and started to squeeze. As Grundy tried to roll and defend, Amirkhani went with him, tightening his grass and putting the Team Kaobon representative to sleep.
Amirkhani is a tremendously frustrating competitor to watch, as efforts like this stand in stark contrast to his poor showing against Kamuela Kirk last summer. He entered this fight with one win over his last five fights, but now he’s coming off a dynamic victory and saying all the right things about being re-focused and ready to put things together.
Time will tell, but for now, “Mr. Finland” can celebrate an outstanding finish on Saturday and a return to the win column.
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Two years away didn’t do anything to dull the power Sergei Pavlovich possesses, as the Russian heavyweight returned to action and collected another first-round finish on Saturday, stopping former training partner Shamil Abdurakhimov four minutes into the opening stanza.
A clean shovel uppercut to the jaw put Abdurakhimov down and Pavlovich pounded out the finish from there, bashing home enough unanswered blows to prompt the referee to step in and wave things off. After getting thrown to the wolves against Alistair Overeem in his promotional debut, Pavlovich has now earned three straight first-round finishes, with this effort likely elevating him into the Top 10 in the heavyweight rankings.
There are a handful of newer names working their way up the ranks, including Saturday’s headliner Tom Aspinall, and Pavlovich needs to be included in that group. He’s 29 years old, built like a tank, and hits like a truck, throwing cinder blocks and making the most of his 84-inch reach. With champ Francis Ngannou having just underwent surgery, we should have some exciting and important divisional pairings hit the cage over the next nine months, resetting the pecking order for once “The Predator” is ready to return, and Pavlovich is going to be involved in at least one of those critical matchups.
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Paul Craig just continues to find a way.
The Scottish light heavyweight raced across the cage to start his fight with Nikita Krylov, landing on the canvas after trying to secure a choke in the initial clinch. Krylov took his time from top position, alternating between posturing up and bashing Craig with heavy shots and staying tight to avoid submission set ups. Late in the round, Krylov stood up, but waded back in, and as he did, Craig controlled one wrist and the other arm, throwing his legs up and connecting on a triangle choke.
While most fighters are generalists these days, Craig remains a specialist and one you don’t want to mess with on the canvas. No matter how much success you’re having, how comfortable you feel, staying connected to Scotsman on the ground in any way is a mistake, because he can do things like this. He’s now won four straight and is unbeaten in six, and should earn a spot in Top 10 with this effort on Saturday.
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We talk all the time about the depth of young talent in the bantamweight division and in the UFC as a whole, and when we do, we need to include Jack Shore. Saturday night, the Welsh bantamweight moved to 5-0 in the UFC and 16-0 overall with a unanimous decision win over Timur Valiev.
Close through the first two rounds, Shore pulled away in the third, dropping Valiev on two occasions — once early and once late — while navigating through a dangerous guillotine attempt. The two traded solid blows on the feet and sporadic takedowns early, but you saw Shore slowly pulling away in the second, and fully distancing himself from Valiev in the final stanza.
There is nothing flashy about what “Tank” does in the Octagon — he’s just a clean technician both standing and on the ground, and poised as can be no matter the situation. He’s slowly worked his way up the ranks and should find himself in the cage with a ranked opponent next time out.
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Elise Reed scored the first “road win” of the night on Saturday, earning a split decision victory over Cory McKenna that honestly shouldn’t have been a split decision. The American landed the better, more impactful strikes throughout, and although McKenna landed a takedown in each frame, she didn’t do a great deal with them.
The main story of this fight, however, is the indefensible 30-27 score for McKenna turned in by veteran official Derek Cleary. Even at your most generous, I thought the best you could do is 29-28 McKenna, giving her the first and third, which were the closest frames. But Reed was the better of the two, without question, in the second, so a clean sweep for the Welsh fighter just does not compute.
The right fighter won, but it’s not just about “well the right person won” because these officials need to do their level best to deliver scorecards that make sense, and this one does not make any sense.
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There was a ton of hype surrounding Muhammad Mokaev heading into his UFC debut on Saturday and the 21-year-old managed to exceed expectations, finishing Cody Durden in just 58 seconds.
He spent the first 30 seconds feeling out Durden, gauging his range, throwing out feints, getting a sense of his opponent’s timing before crashing forward with a flying knee that landed dead on the chin. Mokaev attacked a guillotine choke as Durden clambered back to his feet and hung onto the hold as he was slammed to the canvas, landing in side control, adjusting the grip, climbing into mount, and securing the tap.
It’s impossible to articulate how challenging it is to have all eyes on you as a 21-year-old with massive expectations and for Mokaev to come out and deliver this kind of effort with all that on his shoulders speaks to his current levels and why so many have been so amped to see him finally step into the Octagon. He’s the real deal and he’s just getting started.