UFC London weigh-ins LIVE: Latest updates as Paddy Pimblett, Tom Aspinall and other fighters hit scales
Re-live our coverage as fighters weighed in before Saturday’s event at the O2 Arena
Every fighter successfully weighed in this morning ahead of Saturday’s UFC London card, which takes place just four months after the MMA promotion’s last visit to the English capital.
Paddy Pimblett, the Liverpudlian fan favourite who is known to balloon in weight between fights, was among the names tipping the scales, as was headliner Tom Aspinall, who is preparing for a heavyweight clash with Curtis Blaydes. While “Paddy The Baddy” and lightweight opponent Jordan Leavitt traded barbs at Wednesday’s media day, Wigan fighter Aspinall and American Blaydes have been cordial to one another thus far. Elsewhere, Pimblett’s fellow Scouser Molly McCann will be in action on Saturday, while former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Alexander Gustafsson adds some extra prestige to the card at the O2 Arena.
Meanwhile, the co-main event sees Jack Hermansson go head to head with American Chris Curtis, who steps in for injured Liverpudlian Darren Till to take on the Swedish-born Norwegian. With fighters having partaken in the official weigh-ins in Canary Wharf this morning, they then took part in the ceremonial weigh-ins later in the day, when fans gathered to cheer them on at the O2. Re-live updates from the official and ceremonial UFC London weigh-ins, below.
Paddy Pimblett ramps up trash talk with ‘absolute idiot’ Jordan Leavitt ahead of UFC London
UFC London live stream: How to watch Tom Aspinall vs Curtis Blaydes online and on TV this weekend
UFC London card: Tom Aspinall vs Curtis Blaydes and all fights this weekend
UFC London headliner Tom Aspinall: ‘I saw this all in my mind before anyone else had seen it’
UFC London: Paddy Pimblett on cutting weight
Paddy Pimblett has cut 18 pounds in two weeks, going from 173 pounds down to 156 pounds.
The Liverpudlian will now usually take off up to 16 pounds in fight week, with a maximum of 10 pounds coming off from the night before the weigh-in to the moment he hits the scales.
“That week [when he vomited] I had to lose 12kg (26lb) from Monday to Friday,” Pimblett tells BBC Sport recalling his past struggles. “I think I started my cut [before the weigh-in day] at 74.2kg (164lb) so I had 8.4kg (19lb) to lose to make weight overnight. And I did it. Very unhealthily, very unprofessionally, but I did it.
“Now I do it very healthily, like a professional. I have a nutritionist who is responsible for my body changing over the last couple of years.
“I used to be a fighter but now I’m an athlete as well, so that’s all down to him, and my food prep team, my pro chef. Without them my life would be so much harder.”
UFC London: Aspinall to play it safe in points win over Blaydes?
Aspinall is facing his toughest test yet, but his trajectory and performances so far suggests that he’ll be able to utilise his eclectic skillset to find a way past Blaydes.
All three of Blaydes’ professional losses have come via knockout, though all were against heavier hitters than Aspinall (Derrick Lewis once and Francis Ngannou twice).
The American has a grappling advantage, so expect Aspinall to keep the fight standing and don’t be surprised if he outpoints Blaydes; if the Briton is to stop the tourist, it will likely be through voluminous strikes rather than a one-punch KO.
UFC London: Paddy set for scrappy knockout win?
Pimblett is taking on his most dangerous opponent so far, and the Liverpudlian has been in worrying positions in both of his UFC outings – particularly when he was dropped in his most recent fight.
As such, “Paddy The Baddy”’s claim of “Scousers don’t get knocked out” feels like it may one day come back to haunt him, but Leavitt has achieved most of his wins via submission.
Therefore, it is in the grappling exchanges that the American will offer the greatest threat here. If Pimblett can make the bout a striking affair, he may well record a scrappy knockout as he did in his UFC debut. That said, he too has a significant number of submission wins, so sticking to striking would be a tactic influenced by his advantage in that realm – not because of any disadvantage in grappling.
UFC London: Odds at a glance
Aspinall – 4/6; Blaydes – 11/10
Pimblett – 4/11; Leavitt – 15/8
UFC London predictions
Saturday night will mark the UFC’s second trip to London in just four months, with March’s scintillating edition of the event forcing mixed martial arts’ flagship promotion into a rapid return.
Tom Aspinall, Paddy Pimblett and a host of British fighters secured statement wins at UFC London in March, sending the O2 Arena into raptures on an evening that broke Fight Night and O2 Arena records.
Aspinall’s first-round submission of Alexander Volkov that night has earned him another main-event spot this Saturday, with Curtis Blaydes set to stand across the Octagon from the British heavyweight in what could be a clash to crown a No 1 contender.
Charles Oliveira offers to start Islam Makhachev fight on the ground
This one already has some spice: “I’m not afraid of getting taken down.”
Charles Oliveira is talking a good game ahead of his clash with Islam Makhachev.
“I’m going to his home, where they wanted the fight, where they think they will beat me,” Oliveira told MMA Fighting podcast Trocação Franca. “I know I’m the biggest problem of this division. No one’s dumb, right? Every guy Islam fought was a striker and he took them down, and I went toe to toe with every guy I fought and only took them down to make things happen after I hurt them on the feet. Islam is fighting the worst problem of the division, Charles Oliveira.
“Want to start the fight on the ground? I’ll start playing guard. It won’t make any difference to me. Again, I’m telling everyone this, I’m the division’s biggest problem and you’re not understanding. I don’t care who it is and when it is. If you want to trade on the feet, come for it, I have firepower in my hands. If you want to take me down, do it.”
UFC 280 press conference
Here we go, the presser is coming right up.
This should be a good one.
UFC 280 press conference LIVE
The first press conference for UFC 280 takes place today, as Charles Oliveira and Sean O’Malley travel to London to preview October’s seismic Abu Dhabi fight card.
In the main event of UFC 280 in three months’ time, Oliveira will fight Islam Makhachev for the vacant lightweight title, while O’Malley faces his biggest bantamweight test yet as he goes up against former champion Petr Yan. Elsewhere on the card, Belal Muhammad clashes with Sean Brady at welterweight, and Muhammad will join Oliveira and Makhachev at the O2 Arena today, moments before the ceremonial weigh-ins for UFC London – which takes place on Saturday.
Oliveira was stripped of the UFC lightweight title in May for missing weight, one day before his scheduled defence against Justin Gaethje. The Brazilian submitted Gaethje in the first round but was ineligible to win back the belt, instead establishing himself as No 1 contender. Meanwhile, O’Malley is one of the UFC’s most popular young fighters, and his incrementally tougher in-ring assignments have suddenly given way to a huge fight with ex-champ Yan. Oliveira vs Makhachev, O’Malley vs Yan, and Muhammad vs Brady were all announced this week, and three of those fighters will preview their upcoming bouts this afternoon.
UFC London weigh-ins LIVE
Paddy Pimblett always attracts attention when he has a microphone in his hand. Here’s what he had to say about opponent Jordan Leavitt on Wednesday:
“He’s been talking all sorts of s***, lad. He’s an absolute crab, he’s an absolute idiot. He can’t throw a punch to save his life. He’s trying to outweird me, but no one’s weirder than me.
“My nan’s dead, and she’d finish him. I’m gonna come out and take his head off, I’m coming to take his chin home with me. I’m not gonna shoot no takedowns.
“He doesn’t come into fights to win, he tries not to lose. This might be the first time someone actually s***s themselves in the Octagon.”
More from “Paddy The Baddy” here:
Paddy Pimblett ramps up trash talk with ‘absolute idiot’ Jordan Leavitt
Pimblett was the star of the show at UFC London in March, and the Liverpudlian fan favourite will feature on Saturday’s card at the O2 Arena, too
UFC London weigh-ins LIVE
The UFC London main event is official – a heavyweight showdown between Tom Aspinall and Curtis Blaydes.
Read our latest interview with Aspinall here:
Tom Aspinall: ‘I saw this all in my mind before anyone else had seen it’
Interview: The Wigan heavyweight headlines at the O2 Arena for the second time in four months, facing Curtis Blaydes at UFC London
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