UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Aspinall Picks, Predictions, Odds
The UFC will head across the pond for this week’s promotion. Manchester’s own Tom Aspinall will have the crowd at his back when he takes on Curtis Blaydes in the main event of UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Aspinall. Blaydes is the No. 4 ranked heavyweight in the UFC as his only three losses in the promotion have been to champion Francis Ngannou (twice) and title challenger Derrick Lewis. Aspinall has not lost in over six years, and a win over Blaydes here could set up a title fight against Ngannou.
UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs Aspinall will take place on Saturday, July 23, 2022, from The O2 Arena in London, England. The prelims will get started at 12 p.m. ET, while the main event is slated to kick off at 3 p.m. ET. This entire promotion will be available only on ESPN+.
Curtis Blaydes vs. Tom Aspinall Picks
Tom Aspinall is a slight favorite over Curtis Blaydes in the main event. Aspinall has been superb since joining the UFC a little over two years ago, winning all five of his fights. He has won four of those fights in the first round, and four of those victories also earned him Performance of the Night bonuses. Aspinall has shown impressive ground skills for a heavyweight with submission victories over Andrei Arlovski and Alexander Volkov, so Blaydes knows he has to stay on his feet.
Although Blaydes has a wrestling background, he has shown that he likes to stand and trade, and 11 of his 16 wins have come by knockout. Blaydes does not have a submission win on his docket, but he has shown an ability to take down his opponents and recorded 14 takedowns in his unanimous decision win over Volkov two years ago. He is more seasoned than Aspinall with several quality wins over UFC opponents, but he hasn’t been as spectacular with just three Performance of the Night bonuses.
Blaydes has the experience, and he has a two-inch reach advantage over Aspinall. However, he has struggled against heavyweights with significant power in his career. Aspinall has the type of power that has given Blaydes trouble, and that should lead to a first-round victory for the hometown hero.
To Win Fight: Tom Aspinall (-138)
Total Rounds: Under 2.5 (-120)
Jack Hermansson vs. Chris Curtis Picks
Chris Curtis is a late fill-in for Darren Till in the co-main event. The UFC has tried to pit Jack Hermansson against Till for the last two years, but this is the second time that Till had to back out after suffering an injury in training.
Curtis recently took on Rodolfo Vieira at UFC on ESPN: Tsarukyan vs. Gamrot last month. He won a unanimous decision over Vieira, and he has now won eight straight fights. Curtis is 3-0 in the UFC, and he knows that a win here would be huge for his future in the promotion.
Hermansson has been up and down in his last few fights. He has alternated wins and losses over the last three years, and that has stalled his ascent up the UFC Middleweight rankings. We have not seen the power that he showcased against lesser opponents carry over to this level, so Curtis is the pick although he might be a little banged up.
To Win Fight: Chris Curtis (-110)
Total Rounds: Over 2.5 (-120)
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Nikita Krylov vs. Alexander Gustafsson Picks
Veteran Nikita Krylov is good value to win his fight over Alexander Gustafsson on Saturday. Krylov is just 2-4 since re-joining the UFC, but he has faced some of the best light heavyweights in the promotion. He is extremely exciting as 33 of his 36 fights haven’t gone the distance, and he will be out to finish Gustafsson.
Gustafsson defeated Jan Blachowicz and Glover Teixeira five years ago, but he has only been in the Octagon three times since May 2017. He lost to Jon Jones, Anthony Smith, and Fabricio Werdum, and he announced his retirement after his loss to Smith. Gustafsson was submitted in the first round when he faced Werdum in his last bout over two years ago, and it seems like he is running on fumes at this point with one leg in and one leg out of MMA.
To Win Fight: Nikita Krylov (-188)
Total Rounds: Under 2.5 (-138)
