Tom Aspinall (15-3) knocked out Curtis Blaydes (18-5) just one minute into his interim UFC Heavyweight championship fight at UFC 304 in Manchester, England.
That was fast! Tom Aspinall finishes Curtis Blaydes #UFC304 pic.twitter.com/OLWg6kla25
— TakeruCigarra (@TakeruCigarra) July 28, 2024
TOM ASPINALL RETAINS THE INTERIM TITLE IN THE FIRST ROUND
#UFC304 pic.twitter.com/fRvfilgpeU
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 28, 2024
Blaydes had active hands to open the fight, connecting on a couple of big shots early, but it was Aspinall who needed just one short leg jab to send the challenger to the mat. Aspinall hopped on him and laid left and rights to his head before the ref called it.
Apsinall won the interim championship when he knocked out Sergei Pavlovich in November 2023. Aspinall’s lone UFC loss came 15 seconds into his first fight with Blaydes, when he suffered an ACL, MCL, and meniscus injury on a leg kick that put him out of action for just under a year. In England, Aspinall was able to avenge that loss and put him squarely in the driver’s seat of the heavyweight division.
Jon Jones, who submitted Ciryl Gane to win the UFC Heavyweight crown, has been out since he claimed the belt in March 2023 in his debut fight at heavyweight. Jones plans to move on to fight Stipe Miocic in a dream heavyweight bout at some point down the road, and Dana White announced the winner will move on to fight Aspinall.