
Athletes
An entertaining night of action in London ended with a bang, as returning British heavyweight Tom Aspinall closed out the festivities in blistering fashion.
Every trip to the O2 Arena is a raucous, thrilling affair and Saturday’s second trip of 2023 was no different, with a handful of finishes, a number of competitive, captivating battles, and plenty to talk about going forward.
Here’s a look back at what transpired inside the Octagon. | Official Scorecards
What a way to kick off the evening in London!
Jafel Filho got stung badly to the body by Daniel Barez early in Saturday’s opener, but the Brazilian was able to recover and reverse course, hurting the Spanish newcomer on the feet before putting him on the canvas. Once there, the Nova Uniao representative climbed to mount, attacked the arm triangle choke, floated to the side, and secured the tap.
That’s two quality showings in two starts for Filho, who collects his first UFC victory, while halting Barez’ four-fight winning streak in the process. | Official Scorecards
Much like her countryman Filho, Bruna Brasil rebounded from a setback in her debut with a victory in her sophomore appearance, out-working Irish newcomer Shauna Bannon to claim a unanimous decision win.
The Brazilian strawweight was the more effective striker in the early stages, connecting with the cleaner shots as the two engaged on the feet through the first half of the contest. While Bannon showed some resolve by turning up her output and pressure in the third, it wasn’t enough, as Brasil swept the scorecards.
With the victory, the Dana White’s Contender Series grad moves to 9-3-1 for her career, while Bannon falls from the ranks of the unbeaten with the defeat. | Official Scorecards
For the second time this year, Chris Duncan ventured to the O2 Arena and turned in a quality effort, registering a second straight unanimous decision win, looking extremely sharp throughout his bout with Yanal Ashmouz.
The Scottish lightweight was locked in from the outset, picking his spots and mixing his attacks well, showing greater patience than he did in his twin Contender Series appearances. He stayed on Ashmouz from the outset, turning up the pressure in the third and securing himself another victory.
Now 2-0 in the UFC and 10-1 overall, Duncan is slowly establishing himself as someone to keep tabs on in the 155-pound weight class. As for Ashmouz, he was limited by an early injury sustained during the contest, and falls to 1-1 in the UFC and 7-1 overall with the loss. | Official Scorecards
Ketlen Vieira ventured to London and turned in a dominant effort, out-working Pannie Kianzad from start-to-finish to get herself back into the win column.
After grinding out the majority of the first in top position, the Brazilian dumped Kianzad to the canvas instantly to start the second, patiently looking to set up submission opportunities, attacking an arm triangle choke that she wasn’t able to complete. Kianzad reversed position on the ground in the third and claimed the round on all three scorecards, but it wasn’t enough to change the outcome.
Entering at No. 4 in the division, the victory solidified Vieira as one of the top contenders in the wide open bantamweight division. This was an excellent bounce back effort from the Brazilian following her loss to Raquel Pennington earlier this year, and gives her three wins in her last four fights. | Official Scorecards
Makhmud Muradov snapped a two-fight skid with a complete showing against divisional newcomer Bryan Barberena.
From start-to-finish, Muradov was the more effective fighter, finding sniper shots on the feet and mixing in takedowns whenever Barberena got over-zealous coming forward or started to have even a modicum of success. He sat “Bam Bam” down a couple different times, effectively using his range and movement to keep the American veteran from ever being able to build real momentum.
After starting his UFC career with three straight victories, Muradov moves to 26-8 overall with his fourth win inside the Octagon, while Barberena suffers a third consecutive defeat. | Official Scorecards
Mick Parkin turned in a solid effort in his promotional debut, running his record to 7-0 with a unanimous decision win over fellow Contender Series graduate Jamal Pogues.
The unbeaten Sunderland man mixed things up well, attacking the body and head with his punches and the body and legs with his kicks, keeping Pogues guessing while slowing him down. Perhaps the most impressive piece of his performance was Parkin’s poise, as he seemed completely unbothered being on the biggest stage in the sport, pacing himself well over the 15-minute affair to start things off on a positive note.
Just 27 years old, Parkin looks like the best heavyweight prospect to come off DWCS and someone to pay close attention to as he slowly works his way forward in his UFC career. | Official Scorecards
The lightweight clash between Joel Alvarez and Marc Diakiese ended with the Spaniard locking up a D’arce choke in the second round, but the outcome is one that will be scrutinized for some time.
Late in the second round, the two men dipped their heads at the same time, with Diakiese getting the worst of it, taking a knock on the back of the head. The action continued, Alvarez took the fight to the British veteran, and once he got him to the canvas, the long-limbed finisher was able to clamp onto a choke and secure the victory.
Fighting for the first time in well over a year, this is a sharp finish to get Alvarez back in the win column, and move his record to 5-2 inside the Octagon while maintaining his 100 percent finishing rate. | Official Scorecards
Jonny Parsons took a little longer to get to the UFC Octagon for the first time, but he made sure to make it a memorable affair, collecting a second-round stoppage win over British veteran Danny Roberts.
The DWCS grad went shot-for-shot with Roberts in a more technical first round before the two opted to throw caution to the wind and get loose in the second. Parsons hurt Roberts multiple times, and while “Hot Chocolate” tried valiantly to steady himself and respond, the debuting welterweight was able to dispatch him in the final seconds of the middle stanza.
That’s now six straight wins for the Las Vegas native, who moves to 9-3 with a victory in his first UFC appearance. | Official Scorecards
Bantamweights Daniel Marcos and Davey Grant paired off for a tremendously entertaining, tactical battle that opened up the main card.
Grant was the more voluminous fighter in the first, landing to all three levels while Marcos focused on landing outside low kicks. The unbeaten Peruvian fighter warmed into the fight in the second, opening up a crimson tap on Grant’s nose, but the British veteran was unbothered. He stayed on the gas in the second, landing the greater volume as he had all fight, with Marcos settling for individual shots, leaving it to the judges to determine the victor.
When the scores were tallied, it was Marcos that came out ahead, maintaining his perfect record while registering the biggest victory of his career. The 30-year-old moves to 15-0 overall with his second straight UFC win, while Grant has his tidy two-fight winning streak halted by the defeat. | Official Scorecards
Featherweights stationed in the “Second 15” in the division paired off for a competitive back-and-forth battle, with Lerone Murphy continuing his unbeaten run by defeating Josh Culibao to collect a fifth straight UFC victory.
For the first two rounds, Murphy and Culibao ran close to level, with the British fighter earning a slight edge both on the feet and on the canvas. In the third, a kick to the body grazed the liver of Culibao, sending the Australian to the mat, and Murphy never really allowed him back into the fight, roughing him up and looking at submission opportunities until the final horn.
After fighting Zubaira Tukhugov to a draw in his promotional debut, Murphy has been perfect, inching closer to the Top 15 with each successive victory. That’s now two wins on home soil this year, and should facilitate another slight step up in competition for “The Miracle” next time out. | Official Scorecards
Virtually identical in measurements and approach, the lightweight clash between Jai Herbert and Fares Ziam played out as a chess match between equally skilled, evenly matched competitors.
Herbert was the slightly more active of the two, pressuring forward and picking with rangy shots, while Ziam seemingly connected with heavier, individual shots. This really was a tooth-and-nail battle, with plenty of time spent in the clinch, the duo trading low kicks, knees in tight, and failed takedown attempts.
The judges were called upon to determine the victor, and Ziam came away on top, sweeping the scorecards to post his second consecutive victory and fourth win in his last five fights. | Official Scorecards
Paul Craig’s move to the middleweight division resulted in a second-round stoppage win over Andre Muniz that should catapult the Scotsman into the Top 15 next week.
The grappling aces eventually found themselves on the canvas in the second, with Craig on the offensive. He rolled through a sweep attempt to remain in top position, looked at a D’arce choke momentarily, and then ultimately settled into mount, where he pounded out the finish.
This was a statement effort from the former Top 15 light heavyweight, who looked more than comfortable down a division and immediately became an interesting new addition to the 185-pound weight class with this victory. | Official Scorecards
What an outstanding back-and-forth battle between featherweights Andre Fili and Nathaniel Wood!
Fili sat Wood down 30 seconds into the fight with a stiff jab, only for the British fighter to storm back, sting his American counterpart and slice him open with a sharp elbow during the subsequent ground barrage. In the second, the more veteran Fili again hurt Wood, connecting with a heavy right hand and follow-up knees to the dome before grinding out the rest of the round in top position.
With the fight hanging in the balance heading into the third, both were a little more tentative, aware of the capabilities of the other, with Wood landing at a higher clip. The final horn sounded and the judges were called upon to render a verdict, all three had it the same way, awarding Wood the victory.
The former bantamweight prospect is now 3-0 since moving up to the 145-pound ranks, and should find himself in there with a ranked opponent next time out. | Official Scorecards
Julija Stoliarenko silenced the crowd at the O2 Arena, taking the fight to fan favorite Molly McCann and submitting her with her signature armbar prior to the two minute mark of the opening stanza.
This was an outstanding flyweight debut for the Lithuanian, who struggled to find success at bantamweight. She charged across the cage from the outset, was happy to stand in the pocket with McCann and blew through “Meatball” once she got her to the canvas.
Stoliarenko was ultra-confident moving down to the 125-pound weight class and showed why on Saturday, collecting her second first-round submission win in the UFC and the 10th armbar finish of her career. | Official Scorecards
Welcome back, Tom Aspinall!
One years less a day after blowing out his knee in the same venue, the British heavyweight delivered a statement victory over Marcin Tybura, pounding out the Polish veteran in just over a minute.
Aspinall looked comfortable and confident from the outset, dropping Tybura with a clean, swift right hand before swarming him and securing the finish. He’s been a dominant force in every fight safe for his last appearance, and there is no reason to doubt he’s capable of challenging for — and perhaps even winning — championship gold in the not too distant future. | Official Scorecards
UFC Fight Night: Aspinall vs Tybura took place live from the O2 Arena in London, England on July 22, 2023. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!