UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Aspinall, live results and analysis

LONDON — The UFC is back in England for the second time this year with a UFC Fight Night card on Saturday inside the O2 Arena.

The promotion went three years without a single event in London between 2019 and 2022, but it’s making up for lost time by staging two in the past five months. English heavyweight Tom Aspinall (12-2) has served as the headliner for both, and he could take a big step toward title contention with a victory over Curtis Blaydes (16-3) this weekend.

As was the case in March, Saturday is loaded with popular English talent — including lightweight Paddy Pimblett (18-3), who will meet Jordan Leavitt (10-1), and Molly McCann (12-4), who will take on Hannah Goldy (6-2).

The card also sees the return of Swedish light heavyweight and three-time title challenger Alexander Gustafsson (18-7), who is coming off a two-year layoff, against Nikita Krylov (27-9).

Follow along as Brett Okamoto and Marc Raimondi recap the action, or watch the fights live on ESPN+.

Fight in progress:

Men’s flyweights: Muhammad Mokaev (7-0, 1-0 UFC, -490) vs. Charles Johnson (11-2, 0-0 UFC, +370)

UFC London results

Lightweights: Jai Herbert (12-4, 2-3 UFC) def. Kyle Nelson (13-5, 1-4 UFC) by unanimous decision (Watch on ESPN+)

Herbert, 34, gutted out a big win over Nelson on Saturday, as the Englishman has now won two of his last three matches in the UFC. Herbert’s ability to strike from distance helped him keep command of the fight throughout. Nelson, 31, drops to 1-4 in the UFC.

Women’s flyweights: Victoria Leonardo (9-5, 1-2 UFC) def. Mandy Bohm (7-2, 0-2 UFC) by unanimous decision (Watch on ESPN+)

In her first UFC win, Victoria Leonardo dominated in all three rounds to earn the victory over Mandy Bohm. Leonardo lost her first two matches in the UFC by TKO after earning a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series back in November 2020. Bohm is now 0-2 in the UFC.

Welterweights: Nicolas Dalby (20-4-1 1 NC, 3-1 1 NC UFC) def. Claudio Silva (14-4, 5-3 UFC) by unanimous decision (Watch on ESPN+)

Silva came on strong early in round one, landing a takedown and keeping the fight on the ground. However, Dalby recovered and in rounds two and three kept the fight standing and landed multiple strikes on his opponent. Dalby’s pressure wore down Silva, who fatigued in the later rounds and was less effective by the end of the match.

Dalby, 37, earned his third UFC win of his career. Silva, 39, has now lost three in a row, all by unanimous decision.

Still to come:

• Heavyweights: Curtis Blaydes (16-3, 11-3 UFC, +120) vs. Tom Aspinall (12-2, 5-0 UFC, -140)

• Middleweights: Jack Hermansson (22-7, 9-5 UFC, -105) vs. Chris Curtis (29-8, 3-0 UFC, -115)

• Lightweights: Paddy Pimblett (18-3, 2-0 UFC, -260) vs. Jordan Leavitt (10-1, 3-1 UFC, +210)

• Light heavyweights: Nikita Krylov (27-9, 8-7 UFC, -200) vs. Alexander Gustafsson (18-7, 10-7 UFC, +170)

• Women’s flyweights: Molly McCann (12-4, 5-3 UFC, -410) vs. Hannah Goldy (6-2, 1-2 UFC, +320)

• Light heavyweights: Paul Craig (16-4-1, 8-4-1 UFC, +140) vs. Volkan Oezdemir (17-6, 5-5 UFC, -155)

• Lightweights: Mason Jones (11-1 1 NC, 1-1 1 NC UFC, -400) vs. Ludovit Klein (18-4, 2-2 UFC, +310)

• Lightweights: Marc Diakiese (15-5, 6-5 UFC, -360) vs. Damir Hadzovic (14-6, 4-4 UFC, +280)

• Featherweights: Nathaniel Wood (17-5, 4-2 UFC, -575) vs. Charles Rosa (14-7, 5-7 UFC, +425)

• Featherweights: Makwan Amirkhani (17-7, 7-5 UFC, +160) vs. Jonathan Pearce (12-4, 3-1 UFC, -190)