It was a year away from the cage for Tom Aspinall, but he didn’t need much time Saturday when he finally returned.
In the UFC Fight Night 224 main event, Aspinall (13-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC) defeated Marcin Tybura (24-8 MMA, 11-7 UFC) via TKO due to punches at 1:13 of Round 1. The performance was one day shy of the one-year anniversary of Aspinall’s devastating knee injury against Curtis Blaydes in the same building, The O2 in London.
Aspinall received a hero’s welcome as he made his way through the tunnel and toward the cage to face Tybura, a fighter who was 7-1 in eight most recent bouts.
When the action began, Aspinall came out quickly. His hand speed was evident from the start, but not ever more so than when he landed a punch that dropped Tybura to the canvas. Tybura covered up as Aspinall rained down ground-and-pound strikes until the fight was waved off.
With the victory, Aspinall solidifies himself as a top contender, already with wins over Alexander Volkov and Serghei Spivac prior to Saturday’s fight.
After the fight, Aspinall revealed his two-step plan for UFC gold. First, he wants the winner of Ciryl Gane vs. Spivac, which takes place on Sept. 2 in Paris. Then, he wants a shot at UFC gold and its current heavyweight holder, Jon Jones.
Big plans ahead for @AspinallMMA 👀 #UFCLondon pic.twitter.com/VJ8SeQjleo
— UFC (@ufc) July 22, 2023
Full UFC Fight Night 224 results include:
- Tom Aspinall def. Marcin Tybura via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 1:13
- Julija Stoliarenko def. Molly McCann via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 1:55
- Nathaniel Wood def. Andre Fili via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Paul Craig def. Andre Muniz via TKO (elbows) – Round 2, 4:40
- Fares Ziam def. Jai Herbert via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Lerone Murphy def. Josh Culibao via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27)
- Daniel Marcos def. Davey Grant via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Jonny Parsons def. Danny Roberts TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:57
- Joel Alvarez def. Marc Diakiese via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 2, 4:26
- Mick Parkin def. Jamal Pogues via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Makhmud Muradov def. Bryan Barberena via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Ketlen Vieira def. Pannie Kianzad via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Chris Duncan def. Yanal Ashmouz via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Bruna Brasil def. Shauna Bannon via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Jafel Filho def. Daniel Barez via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 1, 1:34
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 224.
