Aspinall Ready for Stern Test
Tom Aspinall has faced some bruising heavyweights during his career, but none more so than Alexander Volkov.
The Russian is one of the more experienced and explosive heavyweights in the UFC, so he’ll test the current sportsbook favorite.
It’s the headline fight at UFC Fight Night 204, which features a stacked card of exciting fighters, including Dan Hooker and Paddy Pimblett.
Let’s check the latest news, stats, injury reports, and UFC odds for Alexander Volkov vs Tom Aspinall. We’ve plenty of predictions for you to consider.
Volkov Doesn’t Mess Around
Volkov isn’t a guy to be messed with, just ask the likes of Alistair Overeem, Marcin Tybura and Greg Hardy.
The 33-year-old from Moscow might not have many fans in London on Saturday, which isn’t his fault, but it will provide him with added incentive to win.
His most recent fight came last year when scoring a three-round decision win over Tybura, which showcased his toughness and cardio.
Prior to that he went five rounds with Ciryl Gane, so he has been facing the top guys in the heavyweight division.
UFC betting lines have Volkov at +105 to beat Aspinall, which is a fair line. Aspinall is the younger fighter with the brighter future, but Volkov has been fighting the better talent.
One of his most impressive knockouts came against Stefan Struve, who towered above him. He faces a smaller fighter in Aspinall, so he has the height advantage.
Aspinall Finishing all Comers
It has been an impressive start to Aspinall’s UFC career. He finished Alan Baudot, Jake Collier, Sergey Spivak and Andrei Arlovski.
He hasn’t had a loss since arriving at the organization, which bodes well for the 28-yea-old Britr.
He has been talked up by Michael Bisping, who believes he’s the next big thing.
“I believe Tom Aspinall is our next best hope at getting a second UFC champion. He’s 4-0, four stoppages against good competition,” Bisping told TalkSport.com.
“He took out Sergey Spivek so easily and look at what he just did to Greg Hardy. Tom made him look like nothing. Was like messing around with my 11-year-old.”
UFC odds have Aspinall at -135 and fighting in front of his home crowd could be enough to win.
He’ll have a massive crowd at the O2 Arena behind him, and although fighters competing in the main event in their home country don’t have a good record, he could change that tune.
Alexander Volkov vs Tom Aspinall Head-to-Head
This is the first meeting between Volkov and Aspinall.
Alexander Volkov vs Tom Aspinall Fight Information
- Game: Alexander Volkov (34-9) at Tom Aspinall (11-2)
- Location: O2 Arena, London
- Day/Time: Saturday, 6:15 p.m. ET
- Streaming: UFC Fight Pass
Alexander Volkov vs Tom Aspinall Betting Lines
| Tom Aspinall | -135 | 3½-115o |
| Alexander Volkov | +105 | 3½-115u |
Alexander Volkov vs Tom Aspinall Prediction
We respect the ability of Volkov to finish fights and to go the distance, so it won’t be an easy win for Aspinall.
However, he has been finishing his way through the heavyweight division and he could land the telling blow on Volkov’s chin.
Aspinall is one of our UFC best bets at the -135 price and bookmakers have the total at 3½ rounds, so they’re expecting the fight to finish early.
We are leaning towards over 3½ at -115. Volkov is tough enough to see the fourth round, but Aspinall could finish him late.
