UFC Fight Night London: Home advantage will drive Aspinall to victory over Blaydes

Frank Monkhouse
22 July 2022
04:00 min read

Paddy "The Baddy" Pimblett will impress the capacity crowd in London

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The UFC arrives in London this weekend, and Betfair's Frankie Monkhouse previews the best of the night's action...

"Tom Aspinall – 1.748/11 on the Betfair Exchange – brings a professional record of a dozen wins against two losses."

Blaydes v Aspinall
Saturday, 22:00
Live on BT Sport

London's calling

On Saturday, the Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to London with UFC Fight Night Blaydes v Aspinall at the O2 Arena.

The main event pairs American Curtis Blaydes and Englishman Tom Aspinall in a non-title bout, but there's more at stake than awards here. Blaydes and Aspinall know victory in the UK capital could set up a huge payday later this year.

Action from the North Greenwich arena is headlined by Aspinall's bid to make home advantage count and score an important victory, but a few fights on the undercard caught our eye. Stars of the show include Jack Hermansson and Paddy Pimblett, meaning there's plenty for fans to get stuck into.

This top-of-the-bill tussle will do the iconic London venue proud and pave the way for the UFC to make many more trips to London, where the love for MMA grows ever-stronger.

Aspinall - 1.748/11 on the Betfair Exchange - brings a professional record of a dozen wins against two losses. Still, he remains unbeaten under the UFC promotion, last losing on BAMMA 25 back in 2016.

Since that rare defeat, the 29-year-old from Manchester has put together an incredible eight-fight winning run, with each of those wins coming inside the distance; six by KO/TKO and two by submission. He was last seen stopping Alexander Volkov in round one earlier this year, and we're backing him to bag another victory, but it'll be tight. The KO/TKO win is our bet from the method of victory market at 3.39/4.

Blaydes travels from his base in Lakewood, California, as the number four ranked heavyweight in the UFC thanks to a professional record showing 16 wins and three defeats, with 11 wins by KO and the other five on points. He was beaten by Derrick Lewis inside two rounds but returned with back-to-back wins over Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Chris Daukaus. Backers will find Razor trading at odds of 2.35/4.

Curtis v Hermansson
Saturday 21:15
Live on BT Sport

This competitive contest has kept both fans and bettors guessing during the build-up. Jack Hermansson is a Swedish fighter ranked number eight in the middleweight category with a CV showing 22 wins and seven defeats. The 34-year-old has been a loyal servant to the game, but three defeats in his last five suggest we've seen the best of The Joker, who is 21/1 on the Exchange.

Chris Curtis will fancy himself as good enough to win this bout and steal the limelight from the main attraction but knows he can't afford to take such an experienced opponent lightly. He has won 29 of 37 matches with a long unbeaten run that goes back to three losses on the bounce, which ended in 2019 and threatened his career.

Since that trio of defeats, The Action Man from Ohio has fought eight times and secured eight wins, including six by knockout.

That run of KO wins caught our eye, and with Hermansson losing three of his last five, we're hot on the chances of Hermansson getting the desired result. Those looking for more punter-friends odds can try Hermansson by KO/TKO @ 6.611/2.

Pimblett v Leavitt
Saturday, 20:45
Live on BT Sport

He won't be involved in the main event, but every seat will be occupied when the supremely talented and popular Paddy Pimblett takes to the octagon.

The fighter from Merseyside is fast becoming a household name among sports fans thanks to his all-action style and memorable press interviews. He looks to have all the ingredients of a future champion.

Paddy The Baddy brings a professional MMA record of 18 wins against three defeats, and he travels to London on the back of a four-match winning run, scoring two wins by submission and the other two by knockout. If you haven't seen Pimblett yet, you are in for a real treat.

He's 1.412/5 to win this bout, but we'll chance our luck at another submission which is 3.259/4.

Jordan Leavitt is a Las Vegas-based fighter in England determined to upset the crowd. The 27-year-old, known as The Monkey King, has ten wins and one defeat, beaten last summer by a points decision against Claudio Puelles. Each of his last five fights has occurred in Las Vegas, and despite 3.3512/5 on offer, we're not convinced he'll cope with the crowd against him.