Two strikers in the UFC's heavyweight division will square off on March 19, with a chance to make an impact in the division. Inside London's O2 Arena, it will be Manchester's Tom Aspinall facing off against Alexander Volkov at UFC London.
Aspinall, 28, made his pro debut in 2014. Joining the UFC in 2020, Aspinall has won all four of his fights with the promotion. He has already faced tough competition, recently beating former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski. Aspinall’s last bout was a TKO win against Sergey Spivak in September.
Making his pro debut in 2009, Volkov has competed for M-1 and Bellator. "Drago" is a former Bellator and M-1 Global heavyweight champion. Making his UFC debut in 2017, Volkov is 8-3 with the promotion. His last fight was a win against Marcin Tybura at UFC 267 in October.
Aspinall is ranked eleventh in the UFC's heavyweight rankings, while Volkov is ranked sixth.
Sporting News is breaking down the fight and providing some insight into the betting of the matchup.
MORE: UFC London: Alexander Volkov vs. Tom Aspinall fight date, time, price, odds & location
When is UFC London: Volkov vs. Aspinall?
- Date: Saturday, March 19
- Start time: 1 p.m. ET
- Main card: 4 p.m. ET
- Main event: 7 p.m. ET (approximately)
UFC London takes place on March 19. The event starts at 1 p.m. ET with the main card beginning at 4 p.m. ET. Volkov and Aspinall will make their way to the octagon at around 7 p.m. ET, depending on how long the undercard fights last.
How to watch UFC London: Alexander Volkov vs. Tom Aspinall
- TV channels/live stream: ESPN+
The prelims and the main card for UFC London will be available on the ESPN+ streaming service.
UFC London odds for Alexander Volkov vs. Tom Aspinall
According to the FanDuel Sportsbook, Volkov is the slight underdog at -105. A $105 wager will result in a $100 profit. Aspinall is the -115 favorite, meaning a $115 wager will result in a $100 profit.
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In Canada, according to Sports Interaction, Volkov is the +110 underdog while Aspinall is the -145 favorite.
Alexander Volkov vs. Tom Aspinall prop bets
- Aspinall vs. KO/TKO: +200
- Aspinall via submission: +1000
- Aspinall via decision: +460
- Volkov via KO/TKO: +270
- Volkov via submission: +1400
- Volkov via decision: +330
Alexander Volkov vs. Tom Aspinall prediction
While Aspinall may not have spent as much time in the octagon as Volkov has, he has managed to make the most of his experience in it. Will that make a difference against a veteran in Volkov?
In four fights with the UFC, Aspinall has amassed a 7.19 significant strikes landed per minute mark and a 70% strike defense. On the other side, Volkov has landed 4.86 significant strikes and has a 54% strike defense mark. Volkov’s volume, however, is far greater than Aspinall's small sample size. “Drago" has landed 289 shots in four fights. Aspinall has landed 79 shots combined in his UFC career.
When it comes to his boxing and power, Aspinall has the WBC heavyweight champion to thank for that. Aspinall sparred with Tyson Fury before this fight, and he believes he learned a lot about himself.
“I think Tyson Fury’s helped me the most mentally,” Aspinall told MMA Fighting and others during UFC London media day. “Obviously, I improved a lot. My skill set improved, my boxing improved, definitely. It brought me a long way skill-wise. But more so mentally. If Tyson Fury ever gets a watch of this, ‘Thank you.’ I’ve never actually had the chance to thank him for it. He has completely changed my career and the outlook of what I’ve got on combat and fighting.
Aspinall has knockout power, as seen by his fights not lasting that long. With a patient fighter like Volkov, however, Aspinall has to step up his game. He can either outstrike Volkov or take him out right away. That is especially true considering Volkov has a two-inch reach advantage (80 inches) compared to Aspinall (78 inches).
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On the ground, Aspinall has only landed two takedowns and has one submission win. Volkov lands about 0.53 takedowns per minute, his last takedown came in 2020 against Curtis Blaydes. Blaydes ended up landing 14 takedowns in that fight. Volkov did land two against Fabricio Werdum in 2018. Many are not expecting this to be decided via the ground, as indicated by the wide submission odds.
Volkov has not only been dealing with the issues surrounding Russia and Ukraine, but the 33-year-old tested positive for COVID-19 for a second time. That can play a factor in this fight. He will also have a disadvantage in crowd support, as Aspinall is the hometown favorite. A lot is going on in the Moskow-born fighter's mind, but he is only focusing on the task at hand.
Volkov is not taking his opponent lightly, even though Aspinall has not been fighting as long as he has.
“He wasn’t an unknown fighter to me,” Volkov said, via MMA Junkie. “He has big names. He beat Andrei Arlovski. I was watching him during the fight and after this and thought he was an interesting opponent, a very hard one. I love this kind of fight when the young up-and-comer, powerful opponent is coming and forces me to evolve. This kind of fight is my favorite.”
The UFC’s heavyweight division has been going through a youth movement as of late, with Aspinall at the forefront. Facing one of the toughest challenges of his young career, Aspinall has what it takes to take down Volkov. He just can’t let the pressure of fighting in from of his family and friends get into his head.
Depending on the pace of the bout, Aspinall could either rush in right away or wait until he finds his moment. It will be a classic striking affair between two heavyweights, with Aspinall likely the one to come out on top.
