UFC 4’s ‘British Bundle’ came just in time!
EA Sports recent UFC 4 update came at the perfect time, just a few weeks before Saturday night’s London fight card that saw all fighters in the bundle take to the octagon.
London’s thrilling Mixed Martial Arts event showcased exactly why Paddy Pimblett, Molly McCann, Paul Craig and Tom Aspinall should feature in the popular video game.
Despite Tom Aspinall’s devastating first round knee injury and Paul Craig’s valiant third round loss, the Scouse superstars Molly McCann and Paddy Pimblett put on incredible performances to raise their profiles further in the UFC, as well as proving why EA Sports were right to include them in the most recent UFC 4 update (despite Pimblett calling his stats “s***.”)
The rise of Paddy ‘the Baddy’ continues
In a packed O2 arena on Saturday night, Paddy Pimblett sensationally returned to the octagon. Submitting Jordan Leavitt in the second round of their lightweight bout.
After a tense fight, Pimblett used his post-fight interview to raise awareness of mental health, dedicating his win to a friend that he lost to suicide earlier last week.
The rise in popularity for the 27-year-old Liverpudlian has been phenomenal and it hasn’t gone unnoticed by the UFC. Pimblett fought third on the main card for the second time in four months after only three fights in the promotion.
Across the venue, fight fans wore wigs inspired by Paddy’s hair, illustrating the ever-rising popularity of the Merseyside fighter. With American UFC star Sean O’Malley even joining in on the trend.
‘Meatball’ Molly’s first round finish
Pimblett’s teammate and fellow scouser ‘Meatball’ Molly also continued her fine form in the UFC earning another stunning knockout win over American’s Hannah Goldy in the first round.
The knockout came by way of a spinning elbow from McCann that rocked Goldy up against the cage before a flurry of punches that finished the fight.
McCann’s first round TKO victory also pocketed her an extra $50k as she won performance of the night. She told media “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen this in combat sports, in the UK people getting this behind a female athlete. That energy you bring gets you through,”.
Molly has now won three fights in a row and will look forward to a big fight next after becoming a fan favourite in Britain due to her charismatic personality and never-say-die attitude.
Devastating injury halts Tom Aspinall’s progress
Tom Aspinall’s injury brought an end to the main event of UFC London just 15 seconds into the fight after an initial exchange of strikes.
The British heavyweight heartbreakingly fell to the ground clutching his knee after returning a punch from Curtis Blaydes with a leg kick. Referee, Herb Dean had no option but to call an end to the fight after waiting for several seconds, allowing medical officials to rush to Aspinall’s aid.
He was put in a leg brace and taken out of the octagon, where he later shared a few pints with American opponent Curtis Blaydes and thanked medical staff after ‘freak injury’.
Paul Craig narrowly defeat
Volkan Oezdemir shut down Paul Craigs’ submission attacks, making it hard for the Scot to make an impact on the fight.
Every attempt at taking down his opponent left Craig exposed to Oezdemir who left superior damage done on the feet and in half-guard, where he repeatedly found himself as Craig crashed into his legs.
Oezdemir, ranked No. 15 in the MMA Fight Global Rankings, received a unanimous decision in the main card opener with scores of 30-27 by most judges.
Drake’s bets big and wins bigger
UFC London was a hot topic across social media with many celebrities wading on the great performances by both Brits. The most prominent admirer came from across the pond however. American rapper Drake won a mouth-watering £1.2m after backing both Molly McCann and Paddy Pimblett to win at UFC London on Saturday evening.
Announcing on Instagram that he staked close to £1.9million worth of Crypto on the 2 fights returning a hefty sum of winnings and later promising both fighters that he’d buy them each a Rolex.
An eagerly awaited return
For the second time this year, the UFC returned to the UK. After an equally exciting card in March that propelled Paddy Pimblett and Molly McCann into British fighting folk law. Saturday night saw them both live up to their hype in the octagon.
British fight fans already had their appetite wetted last time around, witnessing Mollie McCann’s incredible KO, Paddy Pimblett’s first-round win and Tom Aspinall’s statement victory all capping off a huge night for several local fighters. Elevating their status’ in respective divisions.
After stating that the March 19 event at London’s O2 Arena was “one of the best that he’d ever seen”. UFC president Dana White promised to “move things around” in the UFC calendar to make another event in London possible this year, despite initially having no plans to return until 2023.
Saturday nights spectacle drew another sold out crowd to the capital, with Paddy Pimblett later telling journalists that he believed the next UFC London event needed to be elsewhere as the 15,000 capacity O2 arena was “too small”.
With British interest in the UFC at an all-time high after the two events in 2022, it is almost certain that the promotion will be back in the UK at a larger venue in the not too distant future.
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