Aspinall wins UFC interim title in 69 seconds

Aspinall has achieved the feat of becoming only the third British player in history to receive a UFC championship.

Tom Aspinall impressively defeated Sergei Pavlovich in the initial round to emerge victorious as the temporary heavyweight champion at UFC 295, held at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

The 30-year-old Brit managed to defeat the Russian opponent in just under 69 seconds after throwing two successive left-right combinations.

Aspinall agreed to fight with only 17 days' notice due to the fact that champion Jon Jones had gotten injured and couldn't participate in the event.

Aspinall suggested that if there is an opportunity to do something you are afraid of, it's best to take action and do it.

The past two and a half weeks have been absolutely insane.

Aspinall has made history by becoming the third British UFC champion of all time, following in the footsteps of Michael Bisping (middleweight) and Leon Edwards (welterweight). This monumental achievement comes as a result of his impressive triumph in the ring.

The victory marks an impressive comeback for Aspinall, who managed to triumphantly return to the field in July following a long hiatus due to a severe knee injury.

During the highlight of the event, Brazilian fighter Alex Pereira halted the Czech Republic's Jiri Prochazka in the second round and claimed victory in the unoccupied light-heavyweight championship.

Pereira, a previous winner of the middleweight championship at the age of 36, is now a double winner after only participating in his seventh UFC fight. He has set a new record for being the quickest fighter to achieve this victory.

Aspinall Grabs Golden Chance In Impressive Fashion

Pavlovich, a fighter aged 31, was previously designated as the substitute fighter for Jones in the match against Stipe Miocic. Therefore, he had been preparing for a possible contender. Aspinall stated that due to promotional duties and transportation, he had merely around ten days to practice for the competition.

Ever since Aspinall made his grand entrance into the UFC in 2020, he has achieved a lot of success. With seven fights under his belt, he has finished six of them. The only time he faced defeat was against Curtis Blaydes last year, leading to a severe knee injury that happened at the start of the game.

The British fighter had the quickest fights in UFC history (must have fought at least five times) with an average time of one minute and thirty-six seconds. However, he's up against a knockout specialist who holds the second-fastest record at two minutes and twenty-two seconds. Pavlovich, the Russian fighter, has taken down his last six opponents in the first round.

Before the fight, Aspinall had confessed that he was fearful of Pavlovich. However, he likened himself to a honey badger and declared that he would confront the challenge with sheer boldness and impetus once he entered the octagon.

Aspinall seemed calm during his pre-fight preparations, and during his entrance, he smiled and sang his entrance song. He then hugged his father and coach, Andy, before stepping into the octagon.

Pavlovich seemed calm, but didn't show much feeling as he quickly walked out to start the fight. He hugged Aspinall when the referee began the match.

Aspinall made the initial move, delivering a hit to the leg. Pavlovich retaliated by throwing a punch that momentarily caught Aspinall off-guard.

However, Aspinall bounced back and utilized his agility to execute additional leg kicks. He ultimately secured the victory by unleashing two speedy combinations of left and right punches.

After winning, Aspinall fell to the ground with an intense emotional outburst and cried as UFC's leader, Dana White, placed the championship around his neck.

Aspinall stated that the man in question is quite frightful. He had never felt such intense fear before, however, he was aware that he possessed some level of power within himself and had faith in his abilities.

Throughout the years, I have exerted much effort, but there is no one who has put in more work than my dad. This belt is a tribute to him.

"It was a bit challenging for me to cope up with the distance, but eventually, we made it work."

Aspinall has achieved the status of interim champion and has finally proved his potential to his fans, specifically Bisping, who had always believed in him.

Aspinall's victory after only being called up 17 days prior was quite surprising, and coincidentally, it took Bisping the same amount of time to get ready for his own title win against Luke Rockhold in 2016. After Aspinall won, Bisping was one of the first individuals to congratulate him, and Aspinall ended up shedding some tears while holding his new championship belt.

Pereira Achieves Historic Win In UFC

According to reviews, the match involving Pereira and Prochazka was anticipated to be an exhilarating encounter between different cultures. Prochazka follows bushido, which is the moral principles followed by the Japanese samurai. On the other hand, Pereira represents the values and beliefs of his Brazilian tribal ancestors.

Prochazka was aiming to recapture the belt he gave up due to injury a year prior, whereas Pereira was only competing in this division for the second time.

The duo had a fierce stare-off in the octagon before Pereira took control in the fight with his powerful leg kicks, causing Prochazka to fall.

However, the fighter from Czech Republic managed to recover and successfully took Pereira down to gain control on the ground.

In the second round of the fight, Pereira seemed to be injured and retreated towards the cage. This moment eventually led to the end of the fight.

Prochazka was advancing, then Pereira threw a powerful right punch followed by his well-known left hook, causing Prochazka to fall. The match was stopped by the referee as Pereira attacked his opponent with multiple hammer-fists.

Pereira said that he was not shocked when the fight was halted after his initial left hook. His opponent fell to his legs, and in Pereira's opinion, the stoppage was reasonable.

This is an incredible privilege for me, especially having the opportunity to do it at Madison Square Garden. This holds significant meaning for both me and my loved ones.

After his fight, Pereira mentioned his old rival Israel Adesanya and expressed his interest in fighting the former middleweight champion. He also hinted at the prospect of a match against former light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill.

Similar to Prochazka, Hill gave up the championship he earned in January of this year due to an injury.