Main Event Fights Save UFC London

Depending on the type of MMA fight you enjoy watching, UFC Fight Night 224 could have been difficult to watch for fans wanting exciting finishes. Five of the fights on the undercard went to decisions and pushed the UFC’s time window. The organization ended up adding the fight between Davey Grant and Daniel Marcos to the main card due to time restraints.

However, the bigger names made up for the early lack of excitement with a number of late wild finishes. English fighter Tom Aspinall sent the fans home happy when he scored a first-round knockout after missing a year due to a knee injury. But there were plenty of interesting items on the night for anyone who enjoys combat sports.

Here’s a look at the news and notes from UFC Fight Night 224.

Aspinall Lowers The Boom On Tybura

Don’t call it a comeback. Aspinall let the other top heavyweights in the UFC know he was still a legitimate contender by squashing Marcin Tybura. During their fight, which only lasted 74 seconds, Aspinall put pressure on Tybura by landing heavy strikes.

Tybura was so overwhelmed by the onslaught he didn’t even land a punch in response. Aspinall would drop him a minute into the fight and then hit him with ground and pound to force a stoppage. Aspinall is 13-3 in his career and has finished 10 fights via knockout.

Meatball Molly Moves Further Away From The hype Train

McCann gained the attention of UFC fans when she picked up back-to-back knockouts during the spring and summer of 2022. Those victories improved her to 13-4, and people thought she could be destined for a high spot in the flyweight rankings. However, McCann’s stock continued to tumble after her fight last Saturday.

McCann was taken down by Julija Stoliarenko during the first round of their bout at the O2 Arena. While trying to defend herself on the ground, McCann was caught in an armbar by Stoliarenko, who forced McCann to tap out.

Stoliarenko was 1-5 in the UFC before submitting McCann. McCann had now lost two straight fights and faced an uncertain future in the mid-card.

Craig Cuts Weight, Pummels His Opponent

Scottish fighter Paul Craig surprised many by making the decision to cut from light heavyweight to middleweight. Craig is 17-6-1 in his career and known for being involved in a lot of fights that ended before the scorecards. With Craig’s ability to grapple, he was able to make sure things went the same way against Brazilian Andre Muniz.

Both men decided to strike with each other in the first round. However, things got much more interesting in the second round when things hit the mat. Muniz worked for a submission before Craig was able to reverse position and get on top. Once Craig got on top of Muniz, he was able to utilize a strong elbow strike to force a stoppage with 20 seconds left in the second round.

Dangerous Davey Is Not Happy With The Judges

Due to time constraints because of the number of fights going the distance on the undercard, Grant and Marcos were bumped into the main card. With Marcos sitting at a perfect 14-0 on his career, this was a good chance to give both fighters more exposure. The bout that followed would end up drawing a lot of attention.

Grant, who has a lot more UFC experience, was able to utilize his solid striking to land more than Marcos. Grant held a 70-48 edge in strikes landed throughout the fight. While Marco did land a takedown in the third round, he didn’t do a lot of damage. When the scorecards were read, the crowd was surprised to hear Marcos won a split decision to increase his record to 15-0.

Alvarez Fight Ends In Controversy

Marc Diakese was using his grappling and hoping a smart strategy would help him against Joel Alvarez. However, a headbutt in the second round made the fight go haywire. Diakese has used his wrestling to largely dominate much of the round.

Alvarez did manage to work himself back to his feet late in the round. During a striking exchange, Alvarez and Diakese had a clash of heads that went unnoticed by the referee. Diakese showed he was rocked by the exchange.

Alvarez was able to take advantage by pressing forward, and the duo ended up on the ground together. Alvarez could lock up a head-and-arm choke that forced Diakese to tap out. Diakese will likely appeal the result of the decision due to the accidental headbutt.

Robert Has Tough Night Against Sluggernaut

Jonny Parsons had more than a memorable debut. After a back-and-forth first round, Parsons was able to draw UFC veteran Danny Roberts into a wild slugfest in the second round. Roberts has a suspect chin, and Parsons rocked him several times in the round. Parsons was able to get referee Jason Herzog to stop the fight with three seconds left in the second round after vicious strikes.

Roberts, who has been KO’d five times in his career, has now lost three straight fights. He should think long and hard before stepping back into the cage.

So, Are You Going To Fight Or Not?

Jafel Filho opened up the card the right way with a submission victory. After that, things slowed down significantly. The next five fights would take all 15 minutes to settle. Most of the bouts were striking affairs where neither side really threw caution to the wind to finish the fight.

Ketlen Vieira was able to pick up a decision win that was sort of a theme of the night. Vieira dominated Pannie Kianzad in a women’s bantamweight fight in all three rounds. However, Vieira wasn’t able to make Kianzaid tap out despite having her in more than one compromising position.

Bryan Barberena and Makhmud Muradov’s fight was marred by fouls. There were a few clashes of heads that stopped the momentum in a few rounds. While there is nothing wrong with a fight going the distance, having so many in a row killed the event’s momentum.