UFC London – Aspinall v Tybura Preview

Heavyweight contender Aspinall is back after tearing his knee ligaments seconds into his contest against American Curtis Blaydes last year.

On that warm summer’s evening, Aspinall planned to nudge himself into title contention with a statement win.

Instead he was left with his head in his hands after his knee gave way under his 18 stone frame. A year on Aspinall returns to London with redemption on his mind.

Several fighters declined the UFC’s offer to fight Aspinall on his comeback. But the call was finally answered by No.10 ranked heavyweight Tybura, a name Aspinall specifically asked for.

Form

Tybura heads into this match-up in good form. The Polish fighter has won seven of his last eight contests, losing only to Russia’s Alexander Volkov, who Aspinall defeated inside one round.

Since losing to Volkov, the Pole has scored two victories against top 15 opponents. He also holds notable knockout wins over heavyweight rivals Greg Hardy and Walt Harris.

Aspinall, meanwhile, was undefeated and setting records prior to his loss to Blaydes.

The 30-year-old scorched through five opponents in the fastest time in UFC history, even faster than the heralded Khamzat Chimaev.

In March last year, the Brit put the heavyweight division on notice with a dominant first round victory over Volkov before sustaining the injury against Blaydes.

He now takes a small step down in competition against Tybura, who represents a good test for Aspinall coming back from injury.

Path to victory: Aspinall

There’s a reason why Aspinall is being touted as the next big star in the heavyweight division. Not only has the Englishman been winning, but he’s been finishing his opponents in style.

Aspinall combines boxing skills with terrific movement and hand speed. And then against Volkov he also showed us his wrestling prowess, scoring the first round stoppage.

Tybura will need to be alert to the threat Aspinall poses on the ground and on the feet.

But the question still remains, what version of Aspinall are we going to get after knee surgery and one year out of the Octagon?

And will he be affected by returning to the scene of his injury – London’s O2 Arena – just 12
months on?

Paths to victory: Tybura

Entering his 18th UFC contest the Pole brings experience – and one tactic I’m going to be  looking out for is if the wily veteran tries to target Aspinall’s knee.

Aspinall has said throughout his recovery that he will only return when he is 100 percent. But that won’t stop the Polish fighter testing Aspinall’s confidence in the injury.

Tybura holds a well rounded skill set, evident in his good mix of wins. Tybura has nine knockouts on his records as well as six submissions in the UFC.

He has proven himself as a durable fighter that’s hard to finish. And he’s effective at wearing opponents out against the fence and in the clinch.

Can the Pole drag Aspinall, who has been out of competitive action for over a year, into the late rounds and grind out a win?

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