THE O2 ARENA, LONDON — Scouse stars Paddy Pimblett and Molly McCann enjoyed another special night on home soil, both finishing their UFC London bouts within the distance.
There was British heartbreak in the main event, though, as the heavyweight bout between Tom Aspinall and Curtis Blaydes was over within 15 seconds.
After promisingly opening the fight with an exchange, Aspinall suffered an awful knee injury when attempting a kick and was unable to continue, dampening a very lively evening.
The main reason for that excitement was Pimblett, who took on Jordan Leavitt in what felt like the main event to a largely-Liverpudlian crowd in the capital. He didn't disappoint, though faced stern opposition in an opening round all about the ground game, other than one kick to the head with 30 seconds left on the clock.
Leavitt took down Pimblett early and spent portions of the round in command up against the fencing, while the home favourite got the crowd going with two choke attempts. The second started much the same, before Pimblett took control from behind and locked up Leavitt with a rear naked choke. The American was forced to tap with his one free hand, sending The O2 into raptures.
Pimblett moves to 3-0 in the UFC with the victory, and 19-3 overall in his pro career, with the hype train showing no sign of slowing - and there's no reason it should, because once again the 27-year-old proved he is a true superstar.
He has the charisma to back up the grappling ability, be it through "tea-bagging like Modern Warfare 2" after securing the submission, or admitting: "I was sh*t - pardon my French. I'm better than that."
A very different side to Pimblett was also shown in an emotional post-fight interview, as he implored the crowd to discuss mental health and for men to get over the "stigma" around speaking of their feelings, following the recent suicide of a friend.
Earlier on the card, teammate Molly McCann had provided the first standout moment of Saturday night, lighting the cauldron of an atmosphere.
In the final minute of round one against Hannah Goldy, McCann produced a stunning right hand, and before those in attendance had chance to properly roar, had followed it with a spinning elbow which effectively ended the contest. A few more hits for good measure followed before Herb Dean waved it off.
The cheers around The O2 for the victorious moment were matched by the sight of Pimblett on the big screen, celebrating in the locker room. "I wouldn't let you down - I'm not Everton Football Club," the Toffees fan said in the octagon afterward, calling out those before her on the card for not producing finishes.
Nikita Krylov got the memo. Plenty of eyes were on Alexander Gustafsson - a legend of the game, but one that was fighting for the first time in two years - but he was outclassed.
Krylov, booed during the intros, floored Gustafsson within 15 seconds. A barrage of kicks followed, and a minute later a flurry of punches finished it. It was a complete demolition, and the Swede fell to a fourth straight defeat.
Elsewhere, Jack Hermansson sealed a win in the co-main, beating Chris Curtis via UD. A late replacement for Darren Till, Curtis struggled to get into the contest, and did well to take it all the way after being rocked in the second.
Earlier in the evening, the prelims featured a trio of victories for English fighters. Jai Herbert of Wolverhampton claimed a UD win over Kyle Nelson, with local boy Nathaniel Wood doing the same against Charles Rosa, as did Doncaster's Marc Diakiese versus Damir Hadzovic.
A little further afield, another pair of Brits followed, but both lost. Wales' Mason Jones fell to a comprehensive UD loss to Ludovit Klein, before Paul Craig of Scotland opened the main card against Volkan Oezdemir, suffering the same fate.
UFC London results in full
Main card
- Curtis Blaydes def. Tom Aspinall via TKO (0:15, Round 1)
- Jack Hermansson def. Chris Curtis via UD (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Paddy Pimblett def. Jordan Leavitt via submission (2:46, Round 2)
- Nikita Krylov def. Alexander Gustafsson via KO (1:07, Round 1)
- Molly McCann def. Hannah Goldy via TKO (3:53, Round 1)
- Volkan Oezdemir def. Paul Craig vs. via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Prelims
- Ludovit Klein def. Mason Jones via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Marc Diakiese def. Damir Hadzovic via UD (30-26, 30-26, 30-27)
- Nathaniel Wood def. Charles Rosa via UD (30-26, 30-26, 30-27)
- Jonathan Pearce def. Makwan Amirkhani via TKO (4:10, Round 2)
- Muhammad Mokaev def. Charles Johnson via UD (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Jai Herbert def. Kyle Nelson via UD (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Victoria Leonardo def. Mandy Bohm via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Nicolas Dalby def. Claudio Silva via UD (29-28, 29-28, 29-27)