‘I actually like him a lot’ – Tom Aspinall on respect for opponent Marcin Tybura head of headline fight at UFC London

Tom Aspinall revealed his respect towards Marcin Tybura ahead of the UFC London headline fight on Saturday evening.

Aspinall will take part in his third main event at the O2 Arena, after submitting Alexander Volkov in his first, before suffering a serious knee injury in his second against Curtis Blaydes.

“I’m getting used to it now, as I’m a bit of veteran and it’s my third time here,” he told TNT Sports.

“In all honesty, I have never liked an opponent more, I actually like him a lot. I have a personal relationship with him, I know his team and we’ve got a lot of mutual friends.

“But tomorrow, it’s irrelevant and that’s all gone. If someone has to get beaten up in front of the world and it’s me or him, it’s going to have to be him. If someone wants to take everything I’ve worked for away from me, my family’s future and everything, I’m going to have to beat him up. I’m not bothered if he’s my best friend or not.

“There’s a lot more I can do than I’ve shown. I’ve only shown a small percentage of my game and especially since I’ve got two legs now, my whole body has healed up because I’ve not been beasting it up all the time from camp to camp. I just feel much looser, move around way better, and I’m much more muscular and more technical.”

“We’ve gone from talking about Tom as an exciting, upcoming fighter to a genuine contender, depending on his performance here, for that heavyweight title shot,” she added.

“I think that’s exciting and shown how much he’s grown as an individual and as a fighter; changing up his team and his camp, training alongside more heavyweight bodies. This is the Tom 2.0 that we’re going to see tomorrow night.”

Fellow pundit Nick Peet agreed with Pearce’s assessment and is believing the hype in Aspinall, but is refusing to rule out Tybura’s chances of causing an upset.

“He’s in the latter stages of his career in terms of age, but he’s actually getting better and better,” he explained.

“He looks in the best shape of his life here as well and a lot of people have been writing him off, but Tom isn’t and he’s right to take him very seriously. He said he does not quit when the going gets tough, which a lot of heavyweights tend to do.

“He’s lost a lot of weight and knows that he needs that bid of speed to cope with Tom Aspinall. He’s come to win and be the party pooper.”

Molly McCann is another British fighter on the main card, and takes on Lithuania’s Julija Stoliarenko in a women’s flyweight bout.

Despite an animated display of aggression at the weigh-in, the 33-year-old spoke about being much more relaxed in the build-up to Saturday’s fight.

She is eager to make amends after a frustrating first-round defeat to Erin Blanchfield in New York last November, after knocking out Hannah Goldy at the same venue little over a year ago.

“It’s been a year since I felt a win and hearing that crowd go wild, it’s just what we live for. I feel like this is the moment where you find out where the chink in the armour is. This is sometimes where you can read a person’s body language and their energy. I think she’s going to be game and this is going to be a really good fight.

“After weighing this morning, I went and had a three-hour sleep, which I’ve never done before. I went and had some meatballs and spaghetti! I’m going to watch cage warriors now just for an hour and then go home and have a sleep. I know that wasn’t calm, but I feel calm. I feel really relaxed and I cannot wait to get under those lights and dance tomorrow.”

The bout with Stoliarenko is an intriguing one, with Pearce revealing McCann’s intention to take a submission. However, Peet feels the Merseysider should exercise caution and stick to what she knows best.

“We are at the site where Molly has done two spinning elbow knockouts. She’s come off the loss, but has had a bit of time to reflect and put that into context. She actually told me at the hotel yesterday that she wants a submission against the submission expert,” said Pearce.

“Stoliarenko is a submission fighter herself and is very dangerous,” Peet explained. “Her highlight reel is full of nasty submissions and really big arm bars, so Molly has to be careful.

“She has to play her own game, and if that means more spinning elbows, then $50,000 bonuses fit well in that pocket!”