Weekend Fights Preview

UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs Aspinall

We have a pretty fun free UFC day card this weekend. And it takes place in London, which makes it all the more fun, because that crowd goes nuts for all the home town fighters the UFC put on this card. This is the second time the UFC has put on a card in the O2 arena.

The last London card was full of memorable moments and a lot of the same fighters as this card. Lets see how this one plays out, here are some things to look out for:

• A VERY competitive heavyweight fight between Blaydes and Aspinall is the main event. Big step up for the home town fighter Aspinall, winner could be next for a title shot depending on when Jon Jones / Francis Ngonou comes back. If Aspinall wins that building may collapse from erupting cheers (and beer chugging)

• Chris Curtis steps in for an injured Darren Till to face Jack Hermansson. Curtis fought just 4 weeks ago and is 3-0 in the UFC.

• Fan favorite Liverpool fighters (and Barstool atheletes, rumor is Dave Portnoy will be in attendance) Paddy "The Baddy" Pimblett and "Meatball" Molly McCann are on the card. It will be absolute scenes when they walk out. Many are predicting a Paddy loss though.

• Muhammad Mokaev is on the card and is thought to be one of the best prospects the UFC has ever had. A guaranteed future champion. High praise for a 21 year old in his second UFC fight,

Between it being a day card AND a London card, it is a much watch. I don't think the fights will disappoint either.

Fight Schedule

UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs Aspinall on Saturday 7/23/2022

Prelims - 12:00 EST - ESPN +

Main Card -3:00 EST - ESPN +

Bellator 283 Lima vs Jackson on Friday 7/22/2022

Prelims - 7:00 EST - Showtime / DAZN

Main Card - 10:00 EST - Showtime / DAZN

Lock of the Week

Parlay (+212): Curtis Blaydes (+115) WITH Muhammad Mokaev (-460) WITH Nathaniel Wood (-520)

We hate 3 leg parlays and have not had much success with them but here we are - because we're greedy. You could totally ride with just Blaydes at +115 but the Wood and Mokaev fights just seem like sure wins so I had to throw them in for a little extra.

Some stats behind the reasoning for these picks:

• Blaydes is a beast. He has 3 losses: two against Ngannou, and one against Derrick Lewis in a fight Blaydes was winning until he got flash KO'd

• Aspinall is good but has only faced one top level heavyweight in his 5 UFC fights. This is too big of a step up in competition too soon.

• Nathaniel Wood is a young prospect who lost 2 of his last 3 to top competition so the UFC is trying to get him back on track giving him Rosa who is 2-4 and his last 6.

• Mokaev is the next big thing. Poised to become champion and is 1-0 with a first round finish. Charles Johnson is making his UFC debut - he's the sacrificial lamb.

Storyline to Watch

The Nate Diaz Saga

Speaking of being the sacrificial lamb... it looks like the Nate Diaz saga is finally coming to a close. They booked him in the worst possible match up against Khamzat Chimaev as a nice FU on his way out of the UFC. This fight takes place September 10th and is Nate's last fight on his UFC contract.

As we know, all signs point towards Nate boxing Jake Paul after this last UFC fight. Jake Paul has his next boxing match August 9th. I think Nate vs Jake takes place regardless of the Nate/Chimaev result, however.. I think Jake needs to win on August 9th in order to still book the Nate fight next.

Clip of the Week

Watch the fans outside of the O2 arena in London go nuts after Tom Aspinall's last win he had in London. Will it be another repeat this weekend?