UFC London’s three biggest British stars experienced mixed fortunes on Saturday night, with Paddy Pimblett and Molly McCann scoring stoppage wins before Tom Aspinall suffered a freak injury just 15 seconds into the main event.
“Paddy The Baddy” submitted Jordan Leavitt in the second round to move to 3-0 in the UFC, adding to his first-round victories over Luigi Vendramini and Rodrigo Vargas – the latter of whom fell to the Liverpudlian at the March edition of UFC London, which was also held at the O2 Arena.
Earlier in the night, Pimblett’s friend and fellow Scouser McCann almost replicated her spinning back elbow knockout from March’s card, successfully landing that same strike to set up a KO of Hannah Goldy in round two.
Meanwhile, Aspinall was taking part in his second UFC main event, having headlined at the O2 in March when he submitted Alexander Volkov in the first round. The Wigan heavyweight’s clash with Curtis Blaydes ended quickly and abruptly on Saturday, with Aspinall’s knee giving out after he threw a leg kick.
Below, The Independent sport team plays matchmaker for the protagonists of UFC London.
Paddy Pimblett vs any unranked lightweight
Our team has advocated pairing Pimblett (19-3) with any unranked, lesser-known lightweight opponent; it is a pretty safe way of ensuring that the Liverpudlian keeps winning, which is the most important thing for him and the UFC, who have a genuine star on their hands.
It is also not essential for any opponent of Paddy The Baddy to have name value, because Pimblett has proved he can carry the build-up to a fight himself.
With that in mind, there are numerous valid options here. However, with Pimblett having proved wrong a few doubters by submitting Leavitt, the UFC could take a slight risk and put the 27-year-old in the Octagon with Alexander Hernandez. The unranked American (13-5) was touted as a bright prospect at 155lbs a few years ago, but a defeat by Donald Cerrone kickstarted a seven-fight run for Hernandez that reads: loss, win, loss, win, loss, win, loss.
Still, the 29-year-old is more widely known than Leavitt while also representing a winnable challenge for Pimblett. One to think about...
Curtis Blaydes against Ciryl Gane vs Tai Tuivasa winner
Blaydes has said he does not want to risk his No 4 ranking by waiting for and taking an immediate rematch with Aspinall, who is a genuine threat to the American on paper. Followers of the sport thought they would find out whether that was in fact the case on Saturday, and none could have foreseen the actual conclusion to the fight.
Blaydes (17-3, 1 No Contest) has twice been on the cusp of a title shot, only to be knocked out by Derrick Lewis and Francis Ngannou – the two heaviest hitters in the UFC heavyweight division, the latter of whom in fact holds two KOs of Blaydes. Now, with Blaydes having edged closer to a shot at the gold once again, he suffered a remarkable stroke of bad luck on Saturday night – though not as bad as Aspinall’s, of course – as he was unable to showcase his skills and prove his credibility as a title challenger.
It was likely that the 30-year-old would have had to face the winner of September’s clash between Ciryl Gane and Tai Tuivasa before receiving a title shot, and pairing Blaydes with the victor of that bout still seems sensible – regardless of the manner of the American’s win against Aspinall.
Tom Aspinall against Gane vs Tuivasa loser
Aspinall has obviously been hindered by his injury and should not be hindered any further. That is to say: even if the division moves along in the Briton’s absence, he should still be able to look up in the rankings upon his return.
If sixth-ranked Aspinall is fit in time to fight early next year, a bout against the loser of Gane vs Tuivasa makes sense and would keep the Wigan fighter near the top of the division, in a spot he has certainly earned.
If he were to win such a contest, Aspinall (12-3) could yet find himself in a title fight. Another option after a hypothetical win over Gane or Tuivasa would be a rematch with Blaydes. If the American has won the gold by then, the UFC could kill two birds with one stone and do Blaydes vs Aspinall for the belt.
Molly McCann vs Antonina Shevchenko
After her impressive knockout of Goldy, McCann called out the sister of women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko.
It was a shrewd decision. McCann (13-4) is unranked, as is Antonina Shevchenko (10-4), but the Liverpudlian has popularity and momentum on her side, so beating the older Shevchenko could well fast-track McCann to a title shot.
Perhaps that is optimistic, and – with “Meatball Molly” still just 32 – it may even be unnecessary to try to move the Scouser up the division so quickly. However, McCann vs Valentina Shevchenko would end up with plenty of hype, courtesy of the voices of the Briton’s supporters. So, the UFC should at least entertain the prospect of McCann vs Antonina Shevchenko. Even if it doesn’t set up McCann to face the champion, it makes sense from a competitive point of view.
It’s also worth saying that Pimblett and McCann’s next fights should come at the same event if possible; the friends have emerged as an enthralling double act, one that fans will likely appreciate even on a card outside of the UK.
