Volkov-Aspinall headlines explosive UFC Fight Night

MANILA, Philippines – British mixed martial arts fighter Tom Aspinall knows that the UFC Fight Night on Sunday, March 20, is a massive opportunity.

For one, Aspinall will be facing Russian fighter Alexander Volkov (34-9-0), the sixth-ranked fighter in UFC’s heavyweight division, who will be his biggest opponent to date.

Second, he will be fighting in his native England for the first time as a UFC fighter — at the 02 Arena in London, which is expected to pack 20,000 fans. 

Aspinall totes an 11-2-0 record with a seven-match win streak, including four straight in the UFC. The last time he fought on British soil was when he was still with Cage Warriors, defeating Mickael Ben Hamouda in September of 2019. He joined the UFC right after.

“I think I have to be honest,” 28-year-old Aspinall told Philstar.com in an interview from his hotel in London. “This is going to be the toughest fight of my career. I am not looking past Volkov. In fact, I am looking at what I can do and how I can control this match with Volkov.”

The Russian fighter is 8-3 in the UFC with three wins in his last four fights. Volkov is the type of fighter who grinds out wins with powerful strikes and kicks.

One wonders though how the Russian is prior to this fight. 

“A month and a half before the fight, I got COVID-19 a second time,” bared Volkov. And I couldn’t spare a week not to train. I am grateful to the UFC for getting me here in London).”

Alluding to the current war in Ukraine in which his home country is embroiled in, Volkov said he is focused on the fight.

“Even in hard times you have to be professional and I have to do everything on my part to train and to get here and put on a good fight for the UFC and the fans.”

As for Aspinall, Volkov has been watching from a distance. 

“He was not an unknown fighter to me. And he beat Andrei Arlovski. So Tom is an interesting and hard opponent.  This match forces me to evolve.”

As to the success of British fighters in the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization with huge names like Michael Bisping, Leon Edwards, Dan Hardy, Brad Pickett and Ross Pearson to name a few, Aspinall knows he has an opportunity to join that illustrious list.  

The fact that he is headlining his first UFC fight confirms his potential.

On his part, the British fighter opined: “It is going to be a special night for sure. And this is the third time the UFC has booked one in London, and now I can make it. I have not fought in front of a crowd like this so I have no idea how it will be.”

“I don’t know if there are more British people taking up the sport but I am definitely getting more love,” he said. 

Aspinall has been a scintillating knockout artist. None of his fights have gone the way of the judges’ scorecards. All but three of his fights have ended in the first round. 

“I finish a lot of fights early but that is not my intention,” explained Aspinall. “I am just in there enjoying myself. It just so happens the finishes have come fast. Now, against Volkov, he is a grinder. I will take it any way I can as long as I get the win.”

UFC Fight Night: Alexander Volkov versus Tom Aspinall will be shown at 4 a.m. on Sunday in the Philippines on Premier Sports on Skycable and Cignal, and on the TapGo streaming app.