The UFC returns to our screens for the first crowded fight night event post-pandemic. It’s been two long years, but the UFC and their production team will travel to London, England, for a highly anticipated event.
Top-ranked heavyweight contenders Alexander Volkov and Britain’s own Tom Aspinall will meet in the center of the octagon for next weekend’s main event. Read on for our complete betting guide taking a first look at Aspinall and Volkov, including updated UFC odds and our free expert UFC picks, predictions, and analysis.
Alexander Volkov vs. Tom Aspinall
UFC Heavyweight Main Event Bout
Saturday, March 19, 2022 – 11:05 PM EDT at 02 Arena
Alexander Volkov (34-9-0)
Russia has unquestionably made a significant impact on the UFC in recent years; Petr Yan and Khabib Nurmagomedov have flown the flag with gold around their waists, and the up-and-coming talent pool is endless for the European nation.
With that said, the UFC's heavyweight division has yet to provide a Russian standout - that was until Alexander Volkov went on a 6-2 run while obliterating the likes of Fabricio Werdum, Greg Hardy, and Walt Harris.
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As a former heavyweight champion for both M-1 and Bellator MMA promotions, elite experience is present whilst Volkov has shown no-mercy by utilizing his karate/kickboxing background throughout a 13-year professional career.
Alexander Volkov MMA Accomplishments
- UFC Fight of the Night (One time)
- UFC Performance of the Night (Two times)
- Bellator Heavyweight World Champion (One time)
- M-1 Global Heavyweight Championship (One time)
UFC Pick: Alexander Volkov (-110) with BetOnline
Tom Aspinall (11-2-0)
Fighting out of Team Kaobon in Liverpool, England, one of the brightest UFC heavyweight prospects in Tom Aspinall has the opportunity to wow the crowds of his home country next Saturday.
Taking his UFC venture steadily, Aspinall has now accumulated 4 consecutive stoppage victories since his promotional debut in 2020. Breaking into the top-10 rankings will undoubtedly reveal if Aspinall has the potential to become a future title challenger, and the No.7 ranked Volkov is the perfect fight to make.
Aspinall stems from a decorated mixed martial arts background, having scrambled on the gym mats since the tender age of 7. Between boxing, Muay Thai, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and being the former training partner of Tyson Fury, experience in the fight game is something Aspinall isn’t short of.
Tom Aspinall MMA Accomplishments
- UFC Performance of the Night (Three times)
UFC Pick: Tom Aspinall Available (-110) with BetOnline
Breakdown and Analysis
Volkov Style and How Can Volkov Defeat Aspinall?
Standing at 6-foot-7-inches, Volkov is gifted with natural physical attributes, and he knows how to use them well.
Aspinall won’t give up much of a size disadvantage, but Volkov's most likely path to success is by keeping the Englishman on the end of his jab – attack the base of Aspinall with leg kicks and mix-up the kickboxing approach.
We can’t deny that Volkov has struggled with knockout artists and strong grapplers, two attributes that we can certainly give credit to Aspinall for, so the Russian will want to keep a laser focus in front of thousands of screaming British fans.
Aspinall Fight Style and How Can Aspinall Defeat Volkov?
Ciryl Gane laid out the perfect blueprint for defeating Volkov, and I believe Aspinall can easily emulate this approach – especially with the speed advantage he owns versus almost every opponent.
Threaten Volkov with takedowns, clinching, but ultimately find a way inside the range with lateral and unpredictable movement. Standing square in front of Volkov is a bad move, as his limbs alone can stretch around the octagon like stretch Armstrong.
In addition to closing space - the use of faints will assist Aspinall in finding his significant strikes. But more than anything, movement to evade the incoming attacks of Volkov will be crucial.
Betting Prediction and UFC Odds
The available UFC odds at Bookmakers Review have split down the middle, with a -110 price tag on either side of Volkov and Aspinall. Speed, knockout potential, cardio, and the home crowd support are all going to favor Aspinall, and I have a gut feeling we’ll be looking at these betting odds as a gift when the contest has concluded.
UFC Pick: Aspinall to win ( -110) [1.10u returns 1u profit] with BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
