Tom
Aspinall’s climb in the heavyweight division continued on
Saturday, and it also included a $50,000 bonus for his efforts.
Aspinall earned a “Performance of the Night” check thanks to his
first-round stoppage of Sergey
Spivak in the
UFC Fight Night 191 co-main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
An elbow from the Team Kaobon product sent Spivak to the canvas,
and Aspinall sealed his victory with follow-up punches 2:30 into
Round 1.
Elsewhere, former Cage Warriors Fighting Championship title holder
Paddy
Pimblett enjoyed a memorable Octagon debut, earning a $50,000
“Performance of the Night” award by virtue of a technical knockout
win over Luigi
Vendramini at lightweight. After being rocked and taken down
early in the bout, Pimblett recovered and swarmed with a barrage of
punches on the feet to force a stoppage at the 4:25 mark of Round
1.
Finally, Molly
McCann and Ji Yeon Kim
shared “Fight of the Night” honors and $50,000 apiece for their
preliminary flyweight scrap. While Kim enjoyed some success at
range with her striking, McCann did a good job closing the distance
and pressuring her adversary with hooks on the inside, ultimately
allowing “Meatball” to secure a unanimous decision triumph.