UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Aspinall Fight Card, Predictions, & Odds

The O2 Arena in London, England, will host an exciting UFC heavyweight clash this weekend when fourth-ranked contender Curtis Blaydes (16-3) meets sixth-ranked challenger Tom Aspinall (12-2) in the hopes of improving their MMA odds for a title shot.

Fiiiiight weeeeek! @RazorBlaydes265 vs Aspinall is LIVE SATURDAY on @ESPNPlus at 3pm ET #UFCLondon pic.twitter.com/VwR7AHnC9h

— danawhite (@danawhite) July 18, 2022

Blaydes and Aspinall are riding their respective winning streaks; Blaydes has won two straight bouts, while Aspinall has eight straight victories. Since he has more successive wins, the British contender is the clear favorite in the UFC odds over the American.

Curtis Blaydes Fight Results

Curtis Blaydes defeated Jairzinho Rozenstruik (unanimous decision in September 2021) and Chris Daukaus (second-round TKO in March 2022) in his two most recent outings. His last defeat came at the hands of Derrick Lewis in February 2021 when he was knocked out in the second round with a nicely timed uppercut from the ‘’Black Beast.”

Before that devastating loss to Lewis, the Elevation Fight Team member strung four straight victories against Justin Willis (unanimous decision in March 2019), Shamil Abdurakhaminov (second-round TKO in September 2019), Junior Dos Santos (second-round TKO in January 2020), and Alexander Volkov (unanimous decision in June 2020).

Blaydes has additional  impressive wins over Cody East, Daniel Omielanczuk, Aleksei Oleinik, Mark Hunt, and Alistair Overeem. His two other career defeats were courtesy of reigning UFC Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou; they were a second-round doctor stoppage in their first meeting in April 2016 and a first-round TKO in their second meeting in November 2018.

Tom Aspinall Fight Results

Tom Aspinall is still undefeated under the UFC banner in his first five bouts in the promotion. All of these wins were also in the form of a stoppage via submission or a technical knockout finish. He made quick work on Jake Collier in his UFC debut in July 2020 when he scored a first-round TKO victory in just 45 seconds.

The Manchester native followed up that impressive win with a first-round TKO victory against Alan Baudot in October 2020, a second-round rear-naked choke win over Andrei Arlovski in February 2021, and another first-round TKO stoppage of Sergey Spivak in September 2021. 

Aspinall’s most recent victim was Alexander Volkov, whom he submitted in the first round with a straight armbar submission in March.

His most recent victory catapulted him up the rankings and ended up as the sixth-ranked challenger. Aspinall’s two career defeats (one via submission and the other a DQ loss) were sustained when he was still not in the UFC.

Blaydes vs. Aspinall: Fight Analysis

There will be no significant advantage for both Blaydes and Aspinall in terms of physical attributes; they almost have identical features, with Aspinall only having an inch advantage and Blaydes enjoying a two-inch reach edge. But this matchup is exciting nonetheless;  they both possess a high finishing rate percentage.

Blaydes has a 69% KO/TKO rate, and Aspinall boasts his own 75% KO/TKO rate. 

In terms of fighting style, the 31-year-old American is known as an exceptional striker with undeniable power, while the 29-year-old Brit is a more well-rounded athlete who can compete in both the striking and grappling departments.

Although ‘’Razor’’ loves to exchange strikes on the feet, he only lands 3.52 strikes per minute, equivalent to 51%. This is notably lower compared to Aspinall’s 7.33 strikes landed per minute with a 65% accuracy rate. But Aspinall absorbs more blows per minute with 2.65 in contrast to Blaydes’ 1.68.

Aspinall holds the upper hand in grappling advantage against Blaydes with his 100% takedown accuracy and 100% takedown defense. Additionally, he has an average of two submissions every 15 minutes, allowing him to win three bouts through this method. This will also be the main key for Aspinall to get another win across his name and further improve his chances of getting a title shot.

UFC Fight Night Prediction: A first-round or second-round submission victory for Tim Aspinall.

See the full Blaydes vs. Aspinall fight card and odds at the online sportsbook.