UFC Fight Night 224: Tom Aspinall vs Marcin Tybura 07/22/2023 Preview, Predictions and Fight Odds

UFC Fight Night 224: Aspinall vs Tybura 07/22/2023 – Heavyweight contenders Tom Aspinall and Marcin Tybura slug it out in the main event of the UFC Fight Night 224 on Saturday, July 22, at the O2 Arena in London, England. The five-round clash of the UFC’s big boys will have enormous implications in the heavyweight title picture. Aspinall and Tybura are in the Top 10 of the UFC heavyweight rankings and a win would boost their chances of fighting for the championship in the future.

Aspinall succumbed to a technical knockout loss in his last fight in July 2022 while Tybura is coming off a unanimous decision win over Blagoy Ivanov in February. Experts betting on UFC are giving the Londoner an overwhelming edge in this fight due to his excellent finishing abilities. However, Tybura has proven in his previous fights that he can withstand punishment and work his way to secure a win.

Across the pond we go ✈️🇬🇧

Right back at it this week with a battle of top 🔟 heavyweights! #UFCLondon pic.twitter.com/0eAEs7AIby

— UFC (@ufc) July 17, 2023

Main Card

Tom Aspinall

Aspinall (12-3, 5-1 UFC) took the Ultimate Fighting Championship by storm since debuting in July 2020. He immediately made his presence felt, winning his first five fights in the promotion either by knockout or submission. In that span, the 30-year-old defeated the likes of former heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski, Sergei Spivak and Alexander Volkov. Aspinall’s efforts helped him move up to number five in the division and handed him four Performance of the Night bonuses. However, the Atherton native bumped into a stumbling block in his last fight against Curtis Blaydes in July 2022. He injured his knee in just 15 seconds, rendering him unable to continue. Aspinall, who is also a blackbelt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, looks to get back into the winning column in his next fight against Tybura. A win would boost his rankings and possibly earn a shot at the world title.

In terms of statistics, Aspinall has won 12 of his 15 fights via stoppage (nine knockouts and three submissions). Despite being known for his devastating punches, the British fighter’s knowledge in Brazilian jiu-jitsu makes him more dangerous in the mat as well. Striking is Aspinall’s strength with a rate of 7.41 strikes landed per minute. His significant strike percentage is among the best, if not the best in the heavyweight ranks at 65%. In six fights, he absorbed 2.87 strikes/minute and successfully defended 64% of his foes’ striking attempts. He is also excellent in grappling with an average four takedowns per 15 minutes. Aspinall has been perfect in takedown accuracy and takedown defense and normed two submission attempts per 15 minutes.

Marcin Tybura

Tybura (24-7, 11-6 UFC) has surged into the Top 10 of the UFC heavyweight rankings after winning seven of his last eight fights. During that run, the former M-1 heavyweight champion had victories over Sergey Spivak, Maxim Grishin, Ben Rothwell, Greg Hardy, Walt Harris, Alexander Romanov and Blagoy Ivanov. Tybura has dominated his opponents in that three-year span, giving him the high ranking in the UFC. He will have his biggest test ever in Aspinall, who is excellent in various disciplines. The Polish fighter looks to take out the British MMA star for a chance to gain more lucrative fights in the future.

Stats wise, Tybura has 15 finishes (nine knockouts and six submissions) and nine decision wins in his career. He has not been submitted but was suffered four knockout and three decision defeats in his 31 fights. Tybura has a striking rate of 3.55 strikes landed per minute and has an accuracy rate of 48%. In terms of defense, Tybura has absorbed 3.31 strikes per minute and his defense percentage is 55%. In terms of grappling, the Polish MMA fighter has registered 1.39 takedowns per 15 minutes. His takedown accuracy rate is 33%. He has stopped 79% of the takedown attempts against him. He rarely submits opponents, as he has an average of 0.07 submissions per 15 minutes.