Tom Aspinall’s first meeting with Curtis Blaydes didn’t last long.

The Briton, today the UFC’s interim heavyweight champion, sought two years ago to climb another couple of rungs on the title contention ladder when he faced perennial contender Blaydes in the headline bout of a UFC event in London in July 2022.

15 or so seconds after the opening bell, Aspinall was on the canvas cradling what later turned out to be a serious knee injury. After a year of recuperation, Aspinall returned to action — once again in London — where he scored a swift TKO win against the tough Pole Marcin Tybura, before he won the interim title with a stunning 69-second KO of the dangerous Sergei Pavlovich in New York City last November.

That win earned Aspinall the promotion’s interim heavyweight crown which, while he awaits clarity ahead of Jon Jones’ proposed and long-delayed title defence against Stipe Miocic, he will put on the line in a rematch against Blaydes in the small hours of Sunday morning local time in Manchester.

There isn’t much to glean from their first meeting a couple of years ago, but you can watch their first fight in full below.

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