UFC Fight Night Alexander Volkov vs Tom Aspinall is a special one. This will be the first fight night to have fans in attendance since Joseph Benavidez vs Deiveson Figueiredo in Norfolk, Virginia. That fight took place on Feb. 29th, 2020. If that wasn’t special enough, this weekend’s fight night takes place at the O2 Arena in London, England. The last time the UFC was in England was in Mar. 16th, 2019. That fight night was headlined by a welterweight bout between hometown hero Darren Till and contender Jorge Masvidal. Masvidal would beat Till with a brutal KO that would begin his BMF run. This weekend’s fight night is massive with two massive guys fighting in the main event.

The Main Event: Alexander Volkov vs Tom Aspinall  

This fight pairs two massive giants in the octagon. Volkov stands in at 6’7” and weighs 253 pounds while Aspinall stands in at 6’5” and weighs 252 pounds. Both of these men are giants, but they’re both at very different points in their careers.

Volkov is a veteran of the game. The thirty three year old holds a record of 34-9 and he’s won 22 of his fights by knockout. Volkov has beaten the likes of Alistair Overeem, Fabrico Werdum, and Marcin Tybura. He also shared the octagon with Ciryl Gane, Derrick Lewis, and Curtis Blaydes. Aspinall is five years younger at 28 years old. He holds a perfect record of 11-0 where he finished all of his fights by finish; eight by knockout. 

Both of these men can box. Volkov is more precise with his shots while Aspinall is quick and powerful. This fight will be super close. Aspinall may finally mix in his wrestling that he’s been hyping up for awhile. Being the home nation’s fan favorite in the main event, there will be a lot of support for Aspinall. But, could he crumble like Lewis did in Houston. Plus, Volkov has had a lot more fights with a harder resume. What’s even more important is this is Aspinall’s first main event while Volkov has plenty of main event experience in his career. 

Fight Of The Night Prediction(s): Arnold Allen vs Dan Hooker & Jack Shore vs Timur Valiev

For the first time since I’ve started writing these articles, I have two picks for a prediction. However, these two fights more than deserve it. 

Hooker is a certified badass. He holds a record of 21-11 where he won 17 of his fights by finish. Hooker’s resume shows he is willing to take any fight. He’s fought Dustin Poirier, Islam Makhachev, Michael Chandler, Yair Rodriguez, Gilbert Burns, and so many more. Now for the first time since the start of his UFC run, Hooker will be fighting at featherweight. His next opponent is no easy fight. Allen holds a very impressive record of 17-1. At just 28 years old he is 9-0 in the UFC. These two are very talented fighters. With them being so close in skill level, they’ll have to produce a fight of the night contender to see who’s the better man.

Same scenario, but just outside the bantamweight top 15. Both of these men have been struggling to get a top 15 fight. The winner of these contenders will certainly get that fight. Shore holds a perfect record of 15-0. Shore has ended twelve of those wins by finish and eight of those were submission. He is just 27 years old yet he is so strong all around. So talented, yet he’s the underdog against Valiev. That should show how much you should respect Valiev. Valiev is 18-2 and has won eleven of his fights by decision. Valiev is undefeated in the UFC and holds an impressive win over Raoni Barcelos. These are two bantamweights who are so close to cracking the top 15. In order to get that spot, they’ll have to win a great fight.

Performance Of The Night Prediction: Ilia Topuria

This guy is straight up scary. That makes it so much crazier when you realize he’s only 25 years old. Topuria holds a perfect record of 11-0. He’s won all but one of his fights by finish. Topuria is 3-0 in the UFC and he’s dominated every fight. He’s defeated Damon Jackson and Ryan Hall who are both great opponents. Topuria is so good at every aspect of the game. Now this weekend he looks to prove his dominance as he makes his lightweight debut. He’ll be looking to debut in a new division in a big way.

One Name To Watch (Main Card): Molly McCann 

One of my favorite female fighters at the moment. McCann is so fun to watch. Not only is her willingness to brawl entertaining, but her passion for the fight game is just as entertaining. McCann is 11-4 and has won seven of her fights by decision. McCann now finds herself fighting in England, so she is guaranteed to be electric this weekend. She will put on a show.

One Name To Watch (Prelims): Muhammad Mokaev

Mokaev is super young at just twenty one years old. Yet he wants to break Jon Jones’s record and become the youngest UFC champion ever. He has a lot of hype heading into his debut; in his home country as well. Mokaev is 6-0 and has won four of his fights by finish. This flyweight is so talented for his age. He looks to have an impressive debut against Cody Durden.

Predictions

Last Week: 10-4

All Time: 17-10

Main Card

Alexander Volkov defeats Tom Aspinall 

Dan Hooker defeats Arnold Allen

Paddy Pimblett defeats Kazula Vargas

Gunnar Nelson defeats Takashi Sato

Molly McCann defeats Luana Carolina

Ilia Toupira defeats Jai Herbert 

Prelims

Mike Grundy defeats Makwan Amirkhani

Sergi Pavlovich defeats Shamil Abdurakhimov

Paul Craig defeats Nikita Krylov

Jack Shore defeats Timur Valiev

Cory McKenna defeats Elise Reed 

Muhammad Mokaev defeats Cody Durden

All statistics are from ESPN. Follow me on Twitter.