UFC London: Tom Aspinall vs Curtis Blaydes announced as main event

Aspinall also headlined the March edition of the event, submitting Alexander Volkov in the first round

Tom Aspinall has won his last eight fights via stoppage (Action Images via Reuters)

Tom Aspinall will headline a UFC London event for the second time this year when he takes on Curtis Blaydes on 23 July.

When the UFC returned to the English capital in March following a three-year absence, Aspinall took part in his first main event with the promotion, submitting veteran Alexander Volkov in the first round.

That victory took Aspinall’s win streak to eight, with all of those wins achieved via stoppage – seven of them coming in Round 1, and the other in Round 2.

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The result also saw Aspinall (12-2) climb to No 6 in the heavyweight rankings, and the 29-year-old is now set for his toughest challenge so far as he goes up against fourth-ranked Blaydes.

Thirty-one-year-old Blaydes (16-3) will enter the O2 Arena on the back of two straight wins, with his last loss – against Derrick Lewis in February 2021 – ending an impressive four-fight win streak.

The American’s only other defeats have come against reigning UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.

Prior to start of the Covid pandemic, which enforced the UFC’s three-year break from staging events in the UK, the nation would typically host one card by the promotion each year – usually in London.

The UFC’s swift return to the O2 Arena, just four months after its last visit, is the result of the huge success of the March event. That card was the highest-grossing Fight Night in UFC history and the highest-grossing sporting event in the history of the O2 Arena.