Tom Aspinall made a statement in his UFC return — he's back and he's looking for that shot at the UFC heavyweight championship.
After injury at last year's UFC London put him out of action, Aspinall had a highly successful return to the cage this year with a first-round finish of Marcin Tybura in the main event.
Aspinall landed a big head kick early on and did a good job at keeping away from Tybura's striking. Aspinall still had the upper hand as the two returned to the center of the Octagon.
A right hand dropped Tybura to the ground, with some heavy ground-and-pound to follow quickly ending the bout in 73 seconds.
Following the fight, Aspinall took the mic and proclaimed that he would beat the winner of the Ciryl Gane vs. Sergey Spivak fight (which takes place at UFC Paris on September 2) before going on to defeat Jon Jones for the UFC heavyweight championship.
UFC London: Twitter reacts to Tom Aspinall vs. Marcin Tybura
Easy work for Tom Aspinall! He TKOs Marcin Tybura in a little over 1 minute! 🔥🔥
— FTB VIDS (@anotherFTBacct) July 22, 2023
Tybura didn't land a single strike according to the broadcast 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/DdVJdBjLXb
WELCOME BACK TOM ASPINALL!!!! #UFCLondon
— Clint MacLean (@DieHardMMAPod) July 22, 2023
Our boy Tom Aspinall is something special. Round 1 and DONE!!!!
— Matthew Connell (@matthewconnell) July 22, 2023
The O2 is popping off! Just look how bloody happy he made @AdamCatterall 😂💥
📍@ufcontnt #UFCLondon pic.twitter.com/yVlSw6yNhh
Tom Aspinall vs Ciryl Gane is the fight to make.
— AQ (@DoubleAQ) July 22, 2023
To be honest Tom destroys Gane!#UFCLondon pic.twitter.com/2AyuqOrGSP
Tom Aspinall when he woke up this morning #UFCLondon pic.twitter.com/rYeuK6mNaY
— MB (@bowx_) July 22, 2023
Tom Aspinall made -500 look like a gift. pic.twitter.com/MJ0mpyXL2s
— Your Best Bet (@YBBSportsData) July 22, 2023
I’ve seen enough. Jon Jones absolutely destroys Tom Aspinall pic.twitter.com/MLXuKmDnCL
— Sobervated Tony 🥃 (Fan of Tony Ferguson) (@SobervatedConor) July 22, 2023
SHITTY GRAPPLERS HATE THIS FACT:
— Haven (@TheMMAHaven) July 22, 2023
Tom Aspinall handily beats Gane. pic.twitter.com/cBEnfiwYpv
Tom Aspinall looks like what British people feel like when they tell you it’s called football and not soccer. #UFCLondon
— MacMally 🍀 (@MacMallyMMA) July 22, 2023
Oh my gosh Tom aspinall did him filthy
— - (@Wethenorth9055) July 22, 2023
tom aspinall is gonna be a champion man. dudes made that look super easy #UFCLondon
— Troy Nathan (@LowkeyRaw) July 22, 2023
If anyone can beat the grim reaper that is Jon Jones, I truly believe it to be Tom Aspinall. #UFCLondon
— WAY OF THE CAGE (@WayoftheCage) July 22, 2023
Tom Aspinall Vs Ciryl Gane will be a hell of a scrap #UFCLondon
— HAANI MUKHTARR🇬🇲 (@Bittzybwoya) July 22, 2023
Aspinall looked to use this fight as a rebound after last July's UFC London event, where a knee injury 15 seconds in cost him the main event bout against Curtis Blaydes. Prior to that injury, his first UFC loss, Aspinall had been on a tear in the Octagon since his 2020 UFC debut. He had five finishes, with four coming in the first round, through wins over the likes of Andrei Arlovski, Spivak and Alexander Volkov.
Tybura entered this fight off back-to-back victories and seven wins in his last eight fights. Prior to tonight's fight, he had most recently fought at UFC Vegas 68 in February, scoing a decision over Blagoy Ivanov.
UFC London takes place on Saturday, July 22, 2023, from The O2 Arena in London, England. Follow along with FanSided MMA for all your news and highlights