Tomorrow in the main event of UFC London, we are going to see a showdown between top ten heavyweights. Fifth ranked contender and England’s own Tom Aspinall (12-3) is back as he takes on the tenth ranked Marcin Tybura (24-7).
Aspinall is in a very familiar spot in headlining the UFC’s London card. He headlined two London cards last year, but one of them went terribly wrong. That fight was his last one against Curtis Blaydes. Just seconds into the fight, Aspinall suffered a serious injury which ended the fight and kept him out a year.
Now, he’s back and he’s ready to resume his rise to the top in the heavyweight division. Thus far in his UFC career, he’s gone 5-1 with five finishes. The lone loss was the injury loss to Curtis Blaydes last July.
Marcin Tybura came to the UFC back in 2016 and it wasn’t the best start for him. He was just 4-5 in his first nine fights inside the octagon. However, he’s 7-1 in his last eight and has a two-fight winning streak heading into the London event tomorrow.
UFC London Prediction
Marcin Tybura has good kicks and I would suggest he try to use them quickly tomorrow to target the repaired knee of Tom Aspinall. At boxing range, this fight isn’t close with Aspinall having virtually every possible advantage when it comes to throwing hands.
Aspinall’s submission and grappling excellence is also going to make it tough on Tybura to impose his will in the grappling. Tybura excels when he can land kicks and get fights to the ground. I think Aspinall is too slick on the ground to let Tybura just control him.
Tybura’s chance lies within his ability to land kicks and just have Aspinall wear down over the course of five rounds. I could see a decision for him under those circumstances. However, this fight is there for Tom Aspinall to return in emphatic fashion.
I see Aspinall landing big early on and honestly, I think he gets Tybura out of there in the first round. It will be a big return for Aspinall at UFC London.
Prediction: Tom Aspinall by TKO – Round 1