A hot prospect from the heavyweight division will feature in this week’s UFC in Vegas 36 co-main event, and this English born heavy hitter is receiving a lot of action at the top sportsbooks. Read on for our complete betting guide taking a first look at our hot prospect of the week, Tom Aspinall, and his challenger Sergey Spivak, including updated UFC odds and our free expert UFC picks.
UFC Heavyweight Bout
Saturday, September 04, 2021 – 11:45 PM EDT at the UFC Apex Center
Our hot prospect of the week is one of the only British born heavyweights to make an impact in the UFC, Tom Aspinall. It’s interesting to note that the United Kingdom has provided many heavyweight champions in the combat sports world, particularly in boxing. But mixed martial arts is an entirely different kettle of fish, and Manchester-born Tom Aspinall hopes to put Great Britain on the map.
Standing in at 6 ft 5, 256lbs, 28-year-old Tom Aspinall followed in his father’s footsteps from the early age of seven. The difference between Aspinall and most English-born fighters, he didn’t just focus on one discipline. Boxing, wrestling, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu were keen interests, and he’s won the British Open in BJJ across all belt classes except black belt. When his father became the Jiu-Jitsu instructor for Team Kaobon (the home of Darren Till), Aspinall transitioned into MMA on a full-time basis.
Aspinall struggled to find opponents, which is a common occurrence for heavyweight fighters in England, and he was side-tracked from the sport with a two-year stint in professional boxing. British MMA promotion Cage Warriors approached him for his return to MMA, and at the same time, the UFC came calling. Interesting to note, Aspinall turned down the UFC contract as he felt the time wasn’t right. This is a massive testament to his character and proves that he understands the sport, and unlike many fighters desperate to test their skills, Aspinall is a connoisseur of the game.
Don’t let his three submission victories fool you; Muradov’s owns a highly versatile ground game, and his ground and pound attacks are vicious. A potent wrestling offense has proven to be a valuable weapon of his; you’ll notice the timing and speed of his level changes are elite, and he always has a takedown attempt in his back pocket when required.
His Jiu-Jitsu game is probably his one weakness; a lack of transitions and ground control have hindered him in the past. But it’s on the feet where his most incredible talents are displayed. Muradov enjoys staying at range and keeping his offense technical; the speed at which his strikes are thrown will get the attention of slow and plodding middleweights. His counter striking is sleek, cardio is top-notch, and taking him down isn’t easy. All-in-all, I believe Muradov has a bright future with the UFC.
Following two fast and successive victories in CW, Aspinall stepped up to the challenge, and his dominance has reigned supreme ever since. He made his promotional debut one year ago in August of 2020 and has since finished all three opponents within two rounds or less – most impressively, a round-two rear-naked choke over UFC legend Andrei Arlovski. Through 51 professional contests, Arlovski had only been submitted on one other occasion.
Aspinall will face stiff competition at the Apex Center; Sergey Spivak (13-2-0) is another prosperous UFC heavyweight riding a three-fight win streak. However, the diversity in Aspinall’s MMA offense and sheer violence in his attack is the reason why oddmakers opened his available odds at -300. Aspinall is light on his feet with great footwork; a boxing background is complemented with a varied range of kick attacks.
And then his wrestling, something that shouldn’t be overlooked as he boasts some great reactive double leg takedowns and a dangerous Jiu-Jitsu game that was revealed against the veteran Arlovski. I don’t anticipate this contest reaching the judges’ scorecard, and I believe the speed and size of Aspinall combined with a dominant skillset will overwhelm his opponent.
UFC in Vegas 36 Betting Pick: Aspinall to win inside the distance at -175 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.
· Darren Till vs. Derek Brunson [UFC middleweight main event bout]
· Tom Aspinall vs. Sergei Pavlovich [UFC Heavyweight co-main event bout]
· Alex Morono vs. David Zawada [UFC welterweight bout]
· Modestas Bukauskas vs. Khalil Rountree [UFC light heavyweight bout]
· Paddy Pimblett vs. Luigi Vendramini [UFC lightweight bout]