This past Saturday night in the main event of UFC London, England’s own Tom Aspinall (13-3) made his return to the octagon. Aspinall took on Marcin Tybura (24-8) in the main event. It was the first time Aspinall had fought since last July when he suffered a serious knee injury in the opening seconds against Curtis Blaydes.
The English heavyweight entered as a massive favorite over Tybura on Saturday. However, Tybura’s recent stretch proved that he wouldn’t go away easily against Aspinall. Tybura entered the octagon 7-1 in his last eight fights. Nevertheless, most people expected Aspinall to be victorious.
Turns out, people didn’t have to wait incredibly long for their expectations to become a reality. Just over a minute into the first round, Aspinall blitzed Tybura with a combination. At the end, he flushed a right straight that dropped Tybura. A few follow up shots later and it was another UFC win for Tom Aspinall.
What’s next after UFC London?
You couldn’t ask for a better return than Tom Aspinall had on Saturday night. With the win, moved to 6-1 inside the octagon with six finishes. Again, the lone loss came against Curtis Blaydes and it was due to him injuring his knee in the opening seconds. Personally, I would’ve expected Aspinall to go on and win that fight.
After this massive win, who should Tom Aspinall face next? Personally, I think there’s one fight that makes the most sense and it’s the fight that Aspinall wants. I think the UFC would be wise to book a title eliminator between Aspinall and Sergei Pavlovich.
Pavlovich has won six in a row all by first round knockout. Him and Aspinall would be fireworks and a massive fight for the heavyweight division. In November, Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic are fighting for the heavyweight title. It’s expected that Miocic will walk away win or lose while Jones is up in the air.
If both men retire, I wouldn’t mind seeing a vacant title fight between Pavlovich and Aspinall. However, I think the best plan is to put the two on the main card of UFC 295 along with the Jones – Miocic title fight. It would be a massive showcase for the heavyweight division.