Tom Aspinall became the third British champion in UFC history on Saturday night, knocking out Sergei Pavlovich in the first round at Madison Square Garden to claim the interim heavyweight title. The 30-year-old from Wigan needed just 83 seconds to dispatch the Russian, landing two clean right hands before finishing with hammer fists.
The bout was elevated to co-main event status after the original main event between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic was cancelled due to a Jones injury. Aspinall, who admitted to being scared ahead of the fight, said fear gives him a 'superpower' and he delivered a dominant performance despite the short notice.
In the main event, Alex Pereira defeated Jiri Prochazka by TKO in the second round to win the vacant light-heavyweight title. Pereira, a former middleweight champion, became the ninth two-weight champion in UFC history after dropping Prochazka with a left hook and finishing with elbows.
Prochazka dismissed suggestions that the fight was stopped prematurely, praising referee Marc Goddard's decision. Aspinall has called for a unification bout with Jones, who is expected to be sidelined for eight months due to injury.
