Things did not end well for Curtis Blaydes and Tom Aspinall yesterday (Sat., July 23, 2022) at UFC London live on ESPN+ from inside O2 Arena in London, England, but the two heavyweights came together after their main event to crack a few beers.
Blaydes and Aspinall closed out a rather disappointing UFC London card as a whole and were on pace to deliver a stellar heavyweight showcase. However, Aspinall ended up blowing his knee out just 15 seconds into the first round and the main event was waved off to the chagrin of both fighters and thousands of screaming U.K. fans in attendance.
While Blaydes walked away with the first-round TKO win it’s almost like the two never actually fought. This was supposed to be Aspinall’s chance to score another victory in front of his home crowd and solidify his spot as a top title contender in the heavyweight division. Unfortunately, mixed martial arts (MMA) doesn’t abide by any game plans or expectations.
Following the conclusion of UFC London’s main event Blaydes and Aspinall came together to bury the hatchet and drink a few beers. Aspinall was obviously disappointed with his injury, but he seemed to be in relatively good spirits. Check it out above via Instagram.
“A beer makes everything feel better,” wrote Aspinall. “What a guy, big Curtis and his team popped up to say hello. Freak accidents happen unfortunately, tonight wasn’t my night. Love u all.”
The severity of Aspinall’s knee injury is unknown at this time, but the heavyweight contender is likely headed for surgery and should be sidelined for the remainder of 2022 at the very least. It’s a bummer considering Aspinall’s evolution inside of the Octagon and the fact that he was one or two wins away from a shot at UFC gold.
Blaydes, on the other hand, will look to get back into action as soon as possible after training months for just 15 seconds of Octagon action. “Razor” is already calling for the winner of Ciryl Gane vs. Tai Tuivasa so we’ll see if UFC gives him what he wants. It certainly makes sense.
For complete UFC London results and coverage click here.