UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Aspinall March 19, 2022 9:00 PM

As long as he keeps winning, he’s going to pull in more eyes than half the big names in the UFC. It’s all about how long this winning streak actually lasts. He took a nasty shot right out of the gate this time, too. Honestly, I think Dana could be pretty smart and just keep him matched up against unranked fighters for as long as possible. The ratings stay high either way, and it keeps that hype train from crashing too early.

Btw, great UFC night.

Two brutal KOs... both the guy and the girl were out before they even hit the canvas. Belal Muhammad pulled off an insane comeback too, just choked him out...

The crowd is solid, energy is high.

If Belal Muhammad pulls off two more wins, he’s gonna be a massive superstar.

He looked good handling all that pressure while B.B. was talking trash...

Sent from my iPhone 8 using Reddit

Good grief, what happened to Max Holloway? Watching that replay was brutal. I honestly thought he’d take over the fight by utilizing his reach and boxing, but man... that was rough. He just doesn't belong at 145; you could tell he was completely drained.

Sent from my Model Number using Reddit

What a slugfest by the way, fantastic event!
I really feel for Hangman Hooker though , he's actually a pretty likable guy

Total disaster for the super likable Hangman Hooker. Allen absolutely toyed with him like he was nothing.

wow

wow. What a complete dismantling. The speed this guy moves is just unreal. He’s definitely going to have plenty to say once he moves up to heavyweight..

Uuuuu, Aspinall is just freaking incredible! Seriously, he's on another level! 🙏 🙏
No way they didn't give him the win on the scorecards. 🤣

The British fighters completely dominated the entire card.

Those were some hell of a fights—nonstop energy, pure power, and enough momentum shifts to keep you on edge. It was intense stuff to watch, though it's a damn shame they don't usually schedule them during these hours 👍

Maybe Volkov wasn't fully dialed in after that long flight and the stress of not knowing if he'd even be cleared to fight by Friday, but honestly, that doesn't take anything away from how dominant Aspinall was. He was just incredible, and frankly, it's a massive breath of fresh air for the HW division.

God, I just realized Hooker knocked out Gilbert Burns a few years back... watching him go up against Chimaev will probably feel like witnessing a crime in the octagon.

To me, Hooker seems like a striker in the vein of Wonderboy—a point fighter with zero ground game. Those types don't really have a place in the octagon these days.

Paul Craig🙏 is such a submission specialist. He already choked out Ankalaev once, so I’m hoping a win over Smith earns him a much-deserved title shot.

I'm watching Paddy for the first time; he's great for marketing and has a voice as sweet as an American songbird like Josip Katalenic, but I wonder when the hype train will derail. He's too careless on his feet; someone is going to knock him out.

Haha, he looks just like Katalenić.

What an incredible event!

Even Soldić showed up; looks like he’s getting ready to sign with the UFC

What an absolute bloodbath of an event!

First, Topuir returned after taking that high kick, then he pinned his opponent down in the second round and turned out the lights. I would love to see him matched up against Paddy, especially given their history.

That female fighter is incredibly loud and arrogant, but she fights like hell. That elbow was insane; she went through more punishment than Reyes did against Prohaska. My only gripe is that "dance on the grave" comment someone made—it’s disrespectful to act like you're celebrating over someone's fallen spirit while singing along with the crowd. But I suppose that's just how some people from the UK are...

Nelson was routine. His ground game is brutally effective; it's just a shame it didn't end in a finish.

Paddy is rushing things. I suspect Dana will keep him fighting weaker opponents for as long as possible, much like he does with the guy with the colorful hair, just to sustain the hype. When I saw Vargas take him down, I thought he was done, but then he turned it around. Honestly, I was rooting for both of them to lose, but that's just how it goes...

I expected Allen to beat Hooker, but not this easily. It’s like Hooker isn't even there, and to lose in the very thing that gym is famous for—kickboxing—is tough to watch. I don't know what Hooker is even looking for down there; he'll struggle with weight cuts, and anyone serious is going to finish him within the first two rounds. He took too much damage in his fight with Poirier.

And finally, Aspinall. What can I say? Now we know he's the real deal. I know Volkov is slow as a snail, but man, Aspinall looked as fast as if he were three weight classes lighter. He outboxed him, took him down twice, landed elbows, and ended with a submission.
This guy is going to be a massive problem for everyone. Even Gane needed five rounds to get a decision over Volkov, yet this guy handles it easily in the first.

It's great to see so many British fighters establishing themselves. We might see more events in New York City in our time zone soon, which would be excellent.

👍

All things considered, this is almost certainly going to be the year of FN, and honestly, maybe even the year of the UFC in general. This card is looking incredibly stacked. 🙏 🙏

Truly a top-tier event. The British fighters absolutely dominated, both with their performances and that electric atmosphere in the stands... you can only imagine what it felt like being there in person.

Josip Katalenic, oh man... seriously, he looks exactly like him. I swear, back when he was just a kid, I always thought he needed to sign with the UFC because he reminded me so much of someone, but damn, I can't place who. LOL

But I can't make heads or tails of that accent of theirs. Nothing! Every two seconds he says something like "lad"... is that like calling someone a guy or a dude?

It’s easy for the fighters to handle, but the real question is how the fans react. If they can pull off a decent PPV, especially with the issues involving the Russians and the trend of moving events to the Middle East... we might actually see some big fights during the regular season instead of just the outliers. 🙂

I don't know why, but I have this nagging feeling that Paddy The Baddy is going to follow the exact same trajectory as Katalenić in the UFC.
As for Aspinall, he looks like the real deal to me. Did you see how he caught himself right when he slipped, managed to dodge that shot from Volkov off the floor? What a guy.
And Ilija is just impressive; Paddy won't even be in his rearview mirror for years to come. It’s not like Dana is crazy.

I'm happy for Gunar, honestly. He's always been a hell of a fighter. I noticed he hasn't been around much lately, though—any idea why? Just some injuries, I guess?