Aspinall rolls past Volkov in UFC London main event

Tom Aspinall is for real.

The rising heavyweight took a major step toward title contention by submitting the No. 6-ranked Alexander Volkov at the 3:45 mark of the first round in the UFC London main event Saturday at O2 Arena.

Aspinall landed an easy takedown with less than two minutes left in the opening frame. He moved into half guard and secured a straight armlock within seconds, forcing Volkov to tap out.

Afterward, the 28-year-old said he wants to face Tai Tuivasa in his next contest.

Aspinall scored the biggest victory of his career with ease. He initially took Volkov down 45 seconds into the bout and bloodied him with elbows and other explosive ground-and-pound shots.

Volkov returned to his feet and traded a few punches with Aspinall, but Aspinall got him back to the mat moments later and ended the fight.

Aspinall was widely regarded as a top heavyweight prospect when he debuted in the UFC in 2020, and now he's entered the upper echelon of the division. He improved his winning streak to eight and Octagon record to 5-0.

Volkov, 33, fell to 1-2 in his past three outings. "Drago" entered Saturday's main event coming off a win over Marcin Tybura last October. This was his first submission loss since 2010 and his first stoppage defeat since Derrick Lewis' Hail Mary knockout in 2018.