Author: Chandra Moulee Das
Tom Aspinall vs. Marcin Tybura
British heavyweight Tom Aspinall made a triumphant return to MMA with a devastating first-round knockout of Marcin Tybura in the main event of UFC Fight Night 224, held on Saturday at the O2 Arena. This remarkable comeback came almost a year after he suffered a ruptured MCL.
In his last appearance in the octagon, Aspinall’s fight with Curtis Blaydes ended prematurely, lasting just 15 seconds, due to a knee injury. On his return, he almost ended the fight at the same 15-second mark with a powerful head kick, which visibly stunned his Polish opponent.
🚨 TOM ASPINALL🏴 TERMINE MARCIN TYBURA AU 1ER ROUND !!!
6-1 TO THE UFC! IT’S AMAZING! 🔥 #UFCLONDON
pic.twitter.com/hBveA1Bwrn– MMA EMPIRE ⚔️ (@LempireMMA) July 22, 2023
However, Aspinall maintained his demeanour, tactfully selecting his punches until he landed a straight right that knocked Tybura down. The Manchester-born fighter then followed up with heavy punches, which eventually led to the fight being stopped after just one minute and 13 seconds.
Aspinall said in his post-fight interview: “It was a very difficult year for me. My mind is different, my body is different and I’m going all the way“.
André Muniz vs. Paul Craig
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In the main card of UFC Fight Night 224, Craig demonstrated his prowess against high-level grappler Andre Muniz and ended up securing victory by technical knockout at 4:40 of the second round.
In the first round, the two fighters exchanged blows from a distance, with Muniz getting a takedown at the last minute. However, at the start of the second round, it was Craig who managed to get the takedown, but found himself trapped in a triangle choke.
Allow me to reintroduce myself 😤@PaulCraig gets the finish in his debut to the middleweight division 👏
[ #UFCLondon | Live on @ESPNPlus 📺 ] pic.twitter.com/1lN4kfOP8S
– UFC (@ufc) July 22, 2023
Despite his precarious position, Craig managed to escape and soon after took Muniz down. The fight continued with a series of takedowns, until Craig effectively immobilized Muniz and moved on to a D’Arce choke submission, eventually securing full mount. In this dominant position, Craig unleashed a flurry of violent elbows on the ground, prompting the referee to intervene and stop the fight.
With this win, Craig ended a run of two losses in two fights, an impressive achievement considering it was also his debut at middleweight. Before that, “Bearjew” had fought his first 23 professional fights in the heavyweight division.