Rising heavyweight fighter Mick Parkin faced his first professional setback at UFC London.
The UFC London event began with a significant surprise as Guram Kutateladze, despite having renowned fighters Ilia Topuria and Khamzat Chimaev in his corner, suffered a unanimous decision defeat against Kaue Fernandes at the O2 Arena on Saturday.
UFC London continued to deliver exciting preliminary fights, including Shauna Bannon`s impressive armbar submission victory over Puja Tomar in the second round after overcoming a near fight-ending head kick.
However, a highly anticipated undercard match featured Mick Parkin, a frequent training partner of interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall, competing against Marcin Tybura, ranked #8 in the heavyweight division.
Aspinall previously defeated Tybura by knockout in just 73 seconds in July 2023.
In contrast, Parkin`s fight against Tybura at UFC London proved to be a much tougher challenge.
The first round saw a balanced kickboxing exchange between the two heavyweights for the full five minutes, until Tybura managed a late takedown, potentially swaying the round in his favor.
Tybura, supported by a large contingent of fans, started the second round strongly, landing powerful overhand punches. However, a slip allowed Parkin to gain top position.
From there, Parkin unleashed heavy strikes, with his opponent`s head hitting the canvas. The British crowd, including Aspinall, anticipated a possible knockout victory for Parkin.
Despite the punishment, Tybura demonstrated resilience and attempted a leg lock, using it to regain his feet. He then absorbed more strikes before Parkin floored him again at the end of the second round, which was clearly dominated by Parkin.
The final round transitioned back into a kickboxing contest, where Tybura appeared to have an edge by landing more strikes. Ultimately, the judges` decision reflected this, with all three scoring the fight 29-28 in favor of Tybura.
Future Fight: Mick Parkin vs. Tom Aspinall?
Leading up to UFC London, Parkin had considered the possibility of a future bout against interim heavyweight champion Aspinall.
Parkin stated that only a substantial sum of money would make him consider fighting Aspinall.
“It’s been mentioned a few times,” Parkin said in an interview.
“When we are joking around, he always teases me about it. He says, ‘Two more wins, mate, and it will be us in there.’ Because there’s always talk about him struggling to find opponents.”
“He is my friend, and he’s helped me a lot in my career. I’ve trained with him for so long that we are good friends. I hope he gets the Jon Jones fight and retires with a lot of money – that’s what we need to make way for me.”
“I still have potentially 10 more fighters to face before reaching that level. So, it’s still a long way off for me. Unless the money was significant, I probably wouldn’t fight Tom.”
For now, Parkin`s focus is on recovering from his first defeat in his 11-fight MMA career.
Rupert Hartwell