The UFC’s recently announced return to the English capital has its main event.
Tom Aspinall, the 28-year-old Englishman who has compiled a 4-0 record in the UFC to date, will take on his sternest test yet against the experienced Russian Alexander Volkov in a bout which will top the card of the organisation’s first event in London since the 2019 event which was topped by Jorge Masvidal’s knockout of Darren Till.
Aspinall, who trains alongside Till at Team Kaobon in Liverpool, has been noted as one of the most promising prospects in the UFC’s heavyweight division, a reputation he underscored in his last two fights — finishes of both Andrei Arlovski and Sergey Spivak.
A win against 43-fight veteran Volkov, though, would be a career best win for Aspinall but will be far easier said than done. Volkov, 33, is a battle-tested heavyweight and owns wins against the likes of Alistair Overeem, Walt Harris, Greg Hardy, Stefan Struve and Fabricio Werdum, among others.
He was most recently seen in the cage this past October when he earned a unanimous decision win against Polish heavyweight Marcin Tybura.
The announcement of the main event comes with a string of other confirmed fights, including Paddy Pimblett taking on Kazula Vargas and another highly-rated prospect, Muhammad Mokaev, taking on Cody Durden.
UFC London takes place on March 19, with tickets going on sale on February 4.
