The Ultimate Fighting Championship is back in London for the second time in 2022. Fans were treated to one of the most memorable Fight Nights ever when UFC London was at the O2 in March for Volkov vs. Aspinall, which marked the organization’s first foray in London in three years. The March event was the highest-grossing Fight Night in UFC history.
While this UFC fight card may not match the last one, it once again features Britain’s own heavyweight contender Tom Aspinall who faces American Curtis Blaydes in this one. There are 14 bouts scheduled on the night overall, although the co-main event won’t be Jack Hermansson against Darren Till rather, Hermannsson will face Chris Curtis as Till had to withdraw due to injury. ESPN will stream all the fights starting with the eight prelims at 12 p.m. (ET), while the six-bout main card will begin at 3 p.m.
Read more about UFC London.
Parlay: Molly McCann (-410) and Nikita Krylov (-205)
McCann is a massive favorite over Hannah Goldy, and she should be able to extend her winning streak three straight in front of the home crowd. The Brit is more experienced and just as explosive as a striker as her American counterpart. McCann is also a much more furious and vicious attacker than Goldy, and she is also pretty good defensively on her feet.
Krylov is a slight favorite to end his losing streak and extend that of Alexander Gustafsson, who is on a three-bout skid and has not fought since July 2020. Krylov has an aggressive well-round offensive game that should be beneficial against a rusty, less mobile, and older opponent. Gustafsson, who admitted recently he doesn’t know if he has anything left in his tank, is just 3-6 in his last nine outings.
I like McCann against Goldy and believe that Krylov can get back on track in his match. A McCann-Krylov parlay equates to -118 odds.
Featherweight: Jonathan Pearce (-190) Over Makwan Aamirkhani
Pearce enters the fight on a three-bout win streak while Aamirkhani has lost five of nine. Pearce is the harder and more accurate hitter, and he has looked phenomenal since suffering his last defeat. Plus, Pearce has a stamina advantage, and bettors are getting better odds on him now than earlier in the week, down from -225.
Middleweight: Chris Curtis (-115) Over Jack Hermansson
This middleweight bout projects to be extremely entertaining as it is essentially a pick’em fight. Curtis, who fought last month, enters undefeated in three UFC London matches and has won eight straight overall. Meanwhile, No.8 ranked Hermannsson has a well-rounded game and has faced some of the toughest competition in the division.
Curtis is a big hitter and enters the bout with nothing to lose, which makes him very dangerous. The 35-year-old Ohio native is also a more accurate striker than Hermansson and excels at defending takedowns. Plus, Hermansson enters the fight on tilt, having lost three of his last five matches.
Light heavyweight: Paul Craig (+135) Over Volkan Oezdemir
I’m going with Craig to pull a small upset in this light heavyweight scrap. No. 8 Bearjew has looked fantastic during his last six fights where he is 5-0-1 with five finishes, including four in the first round. Meanwhile, No. 9 Oezdemir last won in Dec. 2019 and is just 2-3 since getting pulverized by Daniel Cormier in his lone title bout in 2018.
Moreover, Craig is a submission master, with 13 of his 16 career victories via that finish. However, Bearjew has been an aggressive striker lately, and while Oezdemir has been pretty good at fending off takedowns, he has been dropped in three of his last five outings.
