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

Yeah, I honestly think his body just gave out on him. He’s an intriguing fighter—that blend of elite grappling and that specific karate style makes him a nightmare to prep for.

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Watching Molly McCann take down some unranked nobody just to sprint into the stands and snatch a plastic UFC replica belt... easily one of the most cringeworthy things I've witnessed.

Exactly.

What kind of FN is this? You can only get an atmosphere like that in a place like New York City. 🙏

nimblemoose2 said:Paddy is just brawling his way through; I honestly think Dana is going to match him against much weaker fighters just to keep the hype train rolling, just like he’s doing with that guy with the colorful hair. When I saw Vargas take him down, I thought, "Okay, he's good," but then the guy turns it around... honestly, I was rooting for both of them to just lose, but damn...

Same here, they both drive me absolutely insane. Someone is going to shut Paddy down very soon because this division is stacked. I actually just bet a buddy of mine that he'll never even crack the top 10 in LWu; frankly, I don't see anyone in the top 15 he could actually beat. 😬

With O'Malley, though, I actually get the hype. You can see the technique; you can see he's physically superior to the rest of the division. You can tell when someone is special, but I just don't see it with Paddy. His character doesn't interest me at all, and I don't get the buzz. He's just an average fighter acting arrogant. He's going to get destroyed when he faces someone like Topuria, who has hammers for hands and killer wrestling. That guy is elite too.

Allen is the real deal. I can't wait to see him go up against some top 5 guys. He's a complete fighter who's solid in every department; he just needs to fight more often. He's relatively young, though, so in my eyes, he and Tom are the biggest American prospects for the title.

Aspinall is just incredible. He's well-rounded, but what surprised me was how much faster he was than Volkov. He looked way quicker than Ngannou did against him. Man, we have another legitimate HW contender. I wouldn't mind seeing him face Tuivasa in the next one. 👍

Jack Shore vs Valiev is also a great matchup, especially that third round. I'm happy for Nelson. 👍

The prelims were absolutely stacked with fights. I was actually catching them earlier this morning whenever I had a spare second.
If you missed out, you seriously need to check these: Abdurakhimov - Pavlovich, Krylov - Craig, and Mokaev - Durden.

Pavlovich is kind of a forgotten heavyweight since he spent a few years away from the cage. But man, that fight was intense.
Krylov - Craig was an instant classic—honestly, even WWE wouldn't be ashamed of a brawl like that. As for Craig, I swear he picked up that pre-fight stare-down move from his compatriot Drew McIntyre.
Mokaev, though, is the youngest guy on the roster and this was his UFC debut. This kid has massive potential.

Even Dana was clearly feeling the energy from the crowd and the action: he handed out 9 performance bonuses tonight. Anyone who finished their opponent walked away with $50k.

I haven't caught Shorea and Valieva yet.

Damn, I totally blanked on commenting on a few of these fights. Seriously, this was the best UFC Fight Night we've seen in ages—honestly felt more like a major PPV event. Craig is acting just like Glover; he’s got you pinned, you think it’s over, and then—bam. 🤣

Anyway, let him and Smith go at it. If they fight each other, they both walk away with the best shot at a title fight. Watching Mokaeva is going to be interesting too; it feels like the wave of young talent in this sport is just picking up speed. 👍

I caught the Topuria and Craig fight this morning. Honestly, Topuria is built like a tank—absolute powerhouse. He managed to find his center against that guy even though it looked like he might get caught early in the first round.

A matchup between him and a fighter like Cejudo would be wild, but I’m pretty sure Topuria would just launch him straight into another galaxy.

Craig also looked like he was headed for a loss; the other guy had top position and then, out of nowhere, he pulled off an incredible submission to win. It was a masterclass move, honestly, very similar to how he choked out Ankalaev.

Most people seem to agree on the main cards. What really rubbed me the wrong way, though, was that idiotic celebration and all the posturing from the female winner while the other girl was still lying there on the canvas.

Aspinall was excellent. He almost gives off the vibe of a smaller heavyweight, but at 6'5" with that level of mobility and physicality, he's on a completely different level.

And one last thing—I actually feel for the hooker. He looked absolutely devastated after the loss. He’s a good, genuine guy, so seeing this string of losses for everyone lately is just a shame.

That was a genuinely solid event 👍

There is just one thing I can't quite wrap my head around... going into the fight, Volkov was ranked 6th, while Aspinall was sitting at number 11... what exactly would Volkov have gained by taking down the 11th contender?

If rankings actually worked that way, nobody would ever step into the cage. Thank God they don't. He could have easily jumped ahead of Lewis, maybe even Blaydes. He probably would've walked away with a much bigger payday too, rather than fighting some random nobody at the Apex in front of an empty room during some insignificant event later this year. You only head to New York City if you're the headliner. Who wouldn't? ☕

Fair point. It makes more sense for number 6 to walk away with a bigger payday when facing challenger 11 than if they were getting squeezed on the purse against number 5—especially since you’re essentially acting as the headliner in that first scenario.

Fair enough.👍

Volkov is basically a gatekeeper. Nobody actually wants that title, let's be real, but if he wants to climb the rankings again, he’s going to have to defend his spot against some serious hitters a few times in a row (just like Anthony Smith did). Before the Aspinall fight, he picked up a win against Tybur but dropped one to Gane. Looking at the division above him, he's staring down guys like Gane (who beat him), Lewis (who beat him), Blades (who beat him), plus Stipe, who isn't fighting right now, and Ngannou. He's pretty much stuck fighting whoever is currently climbing the ladder.

Does Paddy really have three losses on his record from his time in Caga Warriors?

And let’s not forget even Conor had two losses back in his Cage Warriors days. That doesn't mean much when you're just starting out; those losses happened when he was only 22 or 23. You don't need a flawless record before hitting the UFC—this isn't boxing. Honestly, I’d argue taking a loss early on can actually be good for you. But with this guy, it's obvious he just doesn't possess Conor's level of raw talent; they are fundamentally different fighters. Paddy simply isn't a generational talent; his appeal is almost entirely based on marketing. He might develop into a decent enough fighter, but nothing more than that. I truly don't get the massive hype surrounding him. It seems people are drawn to him as a personality, not because of any actual fighting skill. I can totally wrap my head around the hype Conor had early on, and I get it with Till too. But with this guy? Not at all. He's just an unlikable dude with a heavy accent. 🤷

Yeah, it’s a total letdown. I honestly fear the hype will never actually be justified.

Well, let’s be honest: most fighters out there are mind-numbingly boring once they step outside the cage.

Paddy, on the other hand, is a pure trash talker who can't resist a little dance; even if you dislike him, he's at least interesting to watch.