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Joe Fournier has accused KSI of cheating in their boxing match on Saturday, after the YouTube star won with a controversial elbow. KSI, 29, dropped Fournier, 40, in the second round, leaving the businessman and former professional boxer unable to beat the referee’s count. However, replays showed that KSI (real name Olajide Olatunji) had actually hit Fournier with an accidental elbow. “He cheated – clear, black and white,” Fournier told Fred Peck. “You’ve all seen the replays, it’s gone viral, it’s all over the world. “He hit me with a clean elbow, and the ref was right there, watched it. Obviously [KSI] owns the promotion; when you’re fighting the promoter on his own show... I’ve never been cheated like that in my life. “I can’t believe... I came on this promotion to teach kids that you’ve got to do the right things, got to be ethical, got to work hard for everything you get – not to cheat and you win. “I saw the punch go past my face, and then he hits me with an elbow. Literally, I felt bone. “Of course you’ve got to run it back; he should be disqualified, that should go down as a loss.” Fournier holds a professional boxing record of 9-0 with nine knockout wins, and he previously lost to David Haye on points in an exhibition fight in 2021. Meanwhile, KSI’s win on Saturday was his fourth straight knockout victory in as many exhibition fights. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More KSI knocks out Joe Fournier with controversial elbow KSI and Tommy Fury separated after heated face-off at Misfits boxing event Tommy Fury brawls with fellow Love Island contestant in KSI vs Fournier crowd

YouTube star KSI beat Joe Fournier with a controversial knockout on Saturday, finishing the former professional boxer with an accidental elbow. KSI, 29, landed the bigger punches throughout the first round of the exhibition bout at London’s Wembley Arena, and he tagged Fournier, 40, with a huge overhand right in Round 2. That was followed by an attempted right hook, with KSI (real name Olajide Olatunji) instead making contact with his elbow. The strike sent Fournier tumbling to the canvas and left him staring up at the ceiling, unable to beat the referee’s count. In a post-fight interview, KSI denied that he had stopped his fellow Briton with his elbow, before calling Tommy Fury into the ring for a face-off, which ended with the pair being separated. KSI’s controversial win was his fourth straight KO victory in as many exhibition bouts. The YouTube star, who rose to fame as a gamer but also raps, previously fought Logan Paul twice, drawing with his fellow YouTuber in an amateur bout and beating him on points in a professional rematch. Meanwhile, Fury – half-brother of world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury – is best known for his time as a contestant on Love Island, but he is also unbeaten as a pro boxer. The 24-year-old outpointed Logan Paul’s brother Jake in February. No fight between KSI and Fury has been scheduled, and for some time KSI has been exchanging words with Jake Paul in hopes of arranging a bout. Jake Paul has gone 6-1 as a pro after stopping KSI’s brother Deji in his amateur debut in 2018. Last time out, in February, 26-year-old Paul suffered his first loss, a points defeat by Fury. The YouTube star is now set to box ex-UFC fighter Nate Diaz in August. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More KSI vs Fournier LIVE: Latest Misfits boxing match ends in chaos as KSI wins with controversial knockout KSI knocks out Joe Fournier with controversial elbow Tommy Fury brawls with fellow Love Island contestant in KSI vs Fournier crowd

Jake Paul said rival KSI should be stripped of victory after knocking out Joe Fournier with an accidental elbow. YouTube star KSI knocked out former boxing professional Fournier in the second round of the exhibition bout at London’s Wembley Arena after catching him with his elbow as he attempted a right hook. KSI, who landed the bigger punches throughout the opening round, denied he had stopped Fournier with his elbow in the post-fight interview but replays showed contact had been made. Reacting to a clip of the knockout on social media, Paul said he did not “respect” the way the fight had ended and called for KSI to be disqualified, or that the controversial result should be declared a no contest. “I respect boxing too much to respect what that was,” Paul tweeted. “If that was indeed a real boxing match it will be ruled a no contest or disqualification.” KSI fought Paul’s brother, Logan Paul, twice in the early stages of his boxing career in 2018 and 2019, drawing with his fellow YouTuber in an amateur bout and beating him on points in a professional rematch. Jake Paul has also moved from YouTube into boxing but was defeated by former Love Island star Tommy Fury in Saudi Arabia in February in his first career loss. Following his victory over Fournier on Saturday night, KSI called Fury into the ring for a face-off, which ended with the pair being separated. Earlier, Fury, half-brother of world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, was seen brawling with Idris Virgo, a fellow ex-Love Island contestant, in the crowd at KSI vs Fournier. YouTube star KSI, who rose to fame as a gamer but also raps, now has four straight KO victories in as many exhibition bouts. Read More Who will KSI fight next? KSI and Tommy Fury separated after heated face-off at Misfits boxing event Who is KSI? From ‘endearing’ class clown to YouTuber who has changed the face of boxing

Boxing matches tend to be organised as one of three types: professional, amateur or exhibition. But what is the difference between them? Generally speaking, most ‘major’ fights – including title fights – are professional bouts, while exhibition contests are those staged with more of a focus on the audience and entertainment. Most professional fighters have an amateur career before turning pro, and Olympic fights count as amateur bouts. For example, Anthony Joshua’s Olympic gold-medal win in 2012 was part of his amateur career. Meanwhile, his heavyweight title fights with Oleksandr Usyk in 2021 and 2022 were professional bouts. Elsewhere, Floyd Mayweather’s recent matches against YouTubers Logan Paul and Deji were exhibitions. All fights – professional, amateur and exhibition – must be licensed by a commission (e.g. fights in Las Vegas are regulated by the Nevada State Athletic Commission), but exhibition bouts do not need to be sanctioned by a governing body. In contrast, the World Boxing Council (WBC) sanctioned Tyson Fury’s three fights with Deontay Wilder, as the WBC heavyweight title was on the line. Professional fights do not need to be title bouts, but they tend to have an effect on the rankings in the weight class in which they take place, as seeded by the governing body sanctioning the fight. I.e. Andy Ruiz Jr is the World Boxing Organization (WBO)’s No 1-ranked fighter below its champions, while Wilder is ranked sixth. If Wilder were to fight and beat Ruiz Jr, Wilder would likely overtake the Mexican-American in the rankings. Furthermore, rules are more flexible in exhibition fights. For example, a world title fight in men’s boxing – a professional bout – will always be scheduled for 12 three-minute rounds; and a women’s world title fight will always be scheduled for 12 two-minute rounds. In contrast, an exhibition fight could be set as six three-minute rounds, or eight two-minute rounds (these are random examples). Fights can of course end earlier if there is a knockout/TKO (technical knockout, where the referee or a ringside doctor halts the action, or a towel is thrown in), but such results are less frequent in exhibition bouts, where wins and losses do not count towards a fighter’s record – and there is often no winner declared at all. For example, former multi-weight world champion Mayweather retired unbeaten in 2017 with a professional record of 50-0, and he has since fought in five exhibitions. While the 46-year-old has been somewhat aggressive in beating three of his exhibition opponents via TKO, two of his exhibition fights lasted the full number of rounds and no winner was declared. Sometimes, however, fights that one would expect to be exhibition bouts are in fact professional contests. For example, YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul has boxed six times professionally, taking on former mixed martial arts champions Anderson Silva, Tyron Woodley (twice) and Ben Askren, as well as ex-NBA star Nate Robinson and YouTuber AnEsonGib. Readers might expect such fights to be exhibitions, but they have in fact been organised as professional bouts, meaning Paul has a 6-0 record (4 KOs). Read More Who is KSI fighting after beating Joe Fournier? KSI knocks out Joe Fournier with controversial elbow KSI, from ‘endearing’ class clown to YouTuber who has changed the face of boxing

KSI and Tommy Fury were separated during a heated face-off on Saturday, moments after the YouTube star knocked out Joe Fournier in controversial fashion. KSI, 29, beat businessman and ex-professional boxer Fournier in the second round, dropping the 40-year-old with an accidental elbow in their exhibition bout. Moments after the main event, Fury – half-brother of world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury – entered the ring to face off with KSI. “Sign me up, easy money. You’re going to sleep within four rounds,” Fury, 24, told his fellow Briton. The pair then appeared to clash heads before being separated. KSI’s victory over Fournier was his fourth straight KO win in as many exhibition fights. The gamer and rapper previously fought Logan Paul twice, drawing with his fellow YouTuber in an amateur bout and outpointing him in a pro rematch. Meanwhile, Fury, who is best known for his time as a Love Island contestant, is unbeaten as a pro boxer. He most recently defeated Jake Paul – brother of Logan – on points in February. During the undercard of KSI vs Fournier, which took place at London’s Wembley Arena, Fury was seen brawling in the crowd with Idris Virgo, a fellow former Love Island contestant. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More KSI knocks out Joe Fournier with controversial elbow Tommy Fury brawls with fellow Love Island contestant in KSI vs Fournier crowd Tommy Fury says he’d stop KSI ‘very early’ in any bout between pair as he arrives for Misfits boxing

YouTube star KSI beat Joe Fournier with a controversial knockout on Saturday, finishing the former professional boxer with an accidental elbow. KSI, 29, landed the bigger punches throughout the first round of the exhibition bout at London’s Wembley Stadium, and he tagged Fournier, 40, with a huge overhand right in Round 2. That was followed by an attempted right hook, with KSI (real name Olajide Olatunji) instead making contact with his elbow. The strike sent Fournier tumbling to the canvas and left him staring up at the ceiling, unable to beat the referee’s count. In a post-fight interview, KSI denied that he had stopped his fellow Briton with his elbow, before calling Tommy Fury into the ring for a face-off, which ended with the pair being separated. KSI’s controversial win was his fourth straight KO victory in as many exhibition bouts. The YouTube star, who rose to fame as a gamer but also raps, previously fought Logan Paul twice, drawing with his fellow YouTuber in an amateur bout and beating him on points in a professional rematch. Meanwhile, Fournier has a pro boxing record of 9-0, with all of his wins having come via knockout, but he lost to former world champion David Haye on points in an exhibition fight in 2021. Fury, half-brother of world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, is best known for his time as a contestant on Love Island, but he is also unbeaten as a pro boxer. The 24-year-old outpointed Logan Paul’s brother Jake in February. Fury was seen brawling with Idris Virgo, a fellow ex-Love Island contestant, in the crowd at KSI vs Fournier. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Tommy Fury brawls with fellow Love Island contestant in KSI vs Fournier crowd Who is KSI fighting after Joe Fournier? KSI, from ‘endearing’ class clown to YouTuber who has changed the face of boxing

YouTube star KSI returns to the ring on Saturday, fighting boxer and businessman Joe Fournier at Wembley Arena. FOLLOW LIVE: KSI vs Fournier – latest fight updates KSI (real name Olajide Olatunji) has taken on Logan Paul twice in the past and most recently fought gamer FaZe Temperrr, winning via knockout in January. His rematch with Paul – a win that followed their initial draw – is the only professional bout of his career, with the rest having been exhibitions. Meanwhile, fellow Briton Fournier has a 9-0 professional record and lost an exhibition bout with former world champion David Haye on points in 2021. The 40-year-old got his start in the fitness industry before moving into nightclub business. KSI, 29, is facing his most credible opponent by far this weekend, in another exhibition fight, but who’s next for the YouTuber? Here’s all you need to know. We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent. When is KSI vs Fournier? The event will take place on Saturday 13 May at Wembley Arena in London. The main card is scheduled to begin at 7.15pm BST (11.15am PT, 1.15pm CT, 2.15pm ET), with the main event due at approximately 9.40pm BST (1.40pm PT, 3.40pm CT, 4.40pm ET). How can I watch it? The event will be available on Dazn pay-per-view, priced at £19 for existing subscribers. New customers can purchase the event for £19, too, while receiving one month’s access to the streaming platform. How much are the fighters earning? No earnings for this fight have been disclosed, but KSI is said by Draft Kings to have made around $1million last August when he beat Swarmz and Luis Alcaraz Pineda on the same night. He looks likely to earn a similar amount for his fight with Fournier, whose purse – based on those of KSI’s recent opponents – could be around $400,000. Full card (subject to change) KSI vs Joe Fournier (cruiserweight) Deji vs Swarmz (light-heavyweight) Salt Papi vs Anthony Taylor (cruiserweight) Tennessee Thresher vs Paigey Cakey (women’s super-bantamweight) Viruzz vs DK Money (cruiserweight) Little Bellsy vs Lil Kymchii (women’s super-bantamweight) Wings vs Boogie (heavyweight) Corn vs Unbaer (welterweight) Luis Nestor vs Callum King (heavyweight) Mystery opponent vs Zuckles (light-heavyweight) Who is KSI fighting next? KSI’s next fight is not yet scheduled, but for some time he has been exchanging words with Jake Paul in hopes of arranging a bout. KSI fought Logan Paul, Jake’s older brother, to a draw in an amateur fight in 2018, before outpointing the American in a professional rematch a year later. Logan Paul went on to fight boxing legend Floyd Mayweather in an exhibition contest in 2021, while Jake has been much more active – going 6-1 as a pro after stopping KSI’s brother Deji in his amateur debut in 2018. Last time out, in February, 26-year-old Paul suffered his first loss, a points defeat by Tommy Fury. The YouTube star is now set to box ex-UFC fighter Nate Diaz in August. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Jake Paul threatens to ‘fire’ employee for bothering Nate Diaz at press conference Conor McGregor shoves Michael Chandler in trailer for The Ultimate Fighter Mark Zuckerberg wins first jiu-jitsu tournament, takes home multiple medals Tommy Fury brawls with fellow Love Island contestant in KSI vs Fournier crowd How to watch KSI vs Fournier online and on TV tonight KSI, from ‘endearing’ class clown to YouTuber who has changed the face of boxing

YouTube star KSI will fight Joe Fournier in an exhibition boxing match tonight, with the pair squaring off at Wembley Arena in London. KSI shot to fame by filming himself playing the football video game Fifa as a teenager, before venturing into rapping and eventually boxing. The Briton, 29, made his amateur boxing debut in 2018 when he fought Logan Paul to a draw, before beating his fellow YouTuber on points in a professional rematch in 2019. KSI returned to the ring last summer, defeating two opponents on the same night, before stopping gamer FaZe Temperrr at Wembley Arena in January. Meanwhile, 40-year-old Fournier is a British businessman with a 9-0 record in pro boxing, who fought David Haye in an exhibition bout in 2021 and lost on points. Fournier goes head to head with KSI this evening in a main event in London, and we’ll have live updates and results from the entire event, below. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More KSI vs Fournier fight: Start time, undercard and everything you need to know How to watch fight online and on TV this weekend Who is KSI? From ‘endearing’ class clown to YouTuber who has changed the face of boxing

Follow live coverage as Leeds United face Newcastle United in the Premier League today. Manchester City are reigning champions after beating Liverpool to the finish line in a neck-and-neck 2021/22 title race where a comeback win on the final day of the season against Aston Villa secured a fourth title in five years for Pep Guardiola's side. Jurgen Klopp's Reds were on course for a quadruple last season but were forced to settle for just an FA Cup and Carabao Cup win and will return trying to win the title again just as they did in 2020. It was a dramatic season for Chelsea a year ago with Roman Abramovich now replaced by Todd Boehly as owner in west London. He will want an instant return on his hefty investment at Stamford Bridge while Tottenham, back in the Champions League, will want to kick on once more too. It's not all about the action at the top though with Fulham, Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest promoted to the top tier for 2021/22 and hoping to hold their own against the best English football has to offer and avoid the drop. We will bring you all the action and updates from today's game in the live blog below:

Promotion places are still to be decided in the Football League as the ever-entertaining play-offs begin. Four teams in the Championship, League One and League Two will bid to finish the season strongly as they vie to be elevated to the next tier. Wembley will again host all three play-off finals across the late May bank holiday weekend. But to get to those showpiece dates, the 12 remaining clubs in contention for promotion will have to survive two-legged semi-finals that always seem to deliver drama. Here’s everything you need to know: When are the play-offs? The play-offs begin on 12 May with the first leg of the League One semi-finals, and conclude with the third tier’s final at Wembley on Monday 29 May. Who has qualified for the play-offs? In the Championship, the teams who finished third, fourth, fifth and sixth will compete for the final promotion place to the Premier League. They are: Luton, Middlesbrough, Coventry and Sunderland. In League One, it is the finishers in that same spread from third to sixth: Sheffield Wednesday, Barnsley, Bolton and Peterborough. League Two, meanwhile, awards an extra automatic promotion place, meaning the fourth to seventh-placed clubs progress to the play-offs: Stockport County, Carlisle United, Bradford City and Salford City are the quartet. How can I watch it? All of the play-off action will be live for viewers in the United Kingdom on Sky Sports. Subscribers can stream every game via the Sky Go app. If you’re not a Sky customer you can grab a NOWTV Day Pass here to watch without a subscription. Championship play-off schedule: Semi-final first legs: Saturday 13 May, 5.30pm BST: Sunderland vs Luton (Stadium of Light, Sunderland) Sunday 14 May, 12pm BST: Coventry vs Middlesbrough (Coventry Building Society Arena) Second legs: Tuesday 16 May, 8pm BST: Luton vs Sunderland (Kenilworth Road, Luton) Wednesday 17 May 8pm BST: Middlesbrough vs Coventry (Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough) Final: Saturday 27 May, 4.45pm BST League One play-off schedule Semi-final first legs: Friday 12 May, 8pm BST: Peterborough vs Sheffield Wednesday (London Road, Peterborough) Saturday 13 May, 3pm BST: Bolton vs Barnsley (University of Bolton Stadium) Second legs: Thursday 18 May, 8pm BST: Sheffield Wednesday vs Peterborough (Hillsborough, Sheffield) Friday 19 May, 8pm BST: Barnsley vs Bolton (Oakwell, Barnsley) Final: Monday 29 May, 3pm BST League Two play-off schedule Semi-final first legs: Saturday 13 May, 7.45pm BST: Salford City vs Stockport County (Moor Lane, Salford) Sunday 14 May, 7pm BST: Bradford vs Carlisle (Valley Parade, Bradford) Second legs: Saturday 20 May, 12.30pm BST: Stockport County vs Salford City (Edgeley Park, Stockport) Saturday 20 May, 3pm BST: Carlisle United vs Bradford City (Brunton Park, Carlisle) Final: Sunday 28 May, 1.30pm BST Read More Vincent Kompany planning ‘smart’ recruitment for promoted Burnley EFL clubs agree record £935million broadcast deal with Sky Sports Milan derby creates thrilling sensory overload that shows how football should be On this day in 2013: Wigan celebrate FA Cup win with shock victory over Man City A closer look at this season’s play-off contenders as promotion battle resumes Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney join jubilant fans as Wrexham enjoy promotion party

Erik ten Hag is back where he started. In one respect, anyway. The Dutchman lost his first two games as Manchester United manager and has lost his last two. He inherited a team in the Europa League, went on a marathon run in the Europa League and, suddenly and despite a run of 30 matches that produced 63 points, could face next season in the Europa League. Talk of the title at Old Trafford has given way to worry about Liverpool – if not from Ten Hag. But the pain of finishing fifth would be exacerbated if United are leapfrogged by their enemies. Ten Hag left West Ham on Sunday sounding rational. “If you look at the table we have everything in our hands,” he said. They do. Win three of their last four games and Liverpool’s results become irrelevant. Three of those four matches are at Old Trafford where United are unbeaten in the league since August, dropping just six points. None of their remaining opponents are in the top nine, and United have a lone defeat to bottom-11 sides this season; it was, though, that most recent outing, at West Ham. United are the team who first had and then lost momentum. They are the side who seemed relentless during the lengthiest fixture list in Europe this season until they now look like running out of steam. They were the squad who seemed transformed under Ten Hag and now appear reliant on overworked, potentially exhausted individuals as faultlines in the group have become more apparent. They may need Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford to drag them over the line. Fernandes is 54 games into his season, Rashford 53 into his. Factor in international commitments and the Portuguese is up to 63 appearances already. There is a sense that exertions are taking their toll. United have only won one of their last six games in all competitions, though a penalty shootout triumph against Brighton has also taken them into the FA Cup final. They have three goals in six; three in 584 minutes. They have lost their way later in matches, giving up 2-0 leads to Sevilla and Tottenham, conceding a 99th-minute winner to Brighton. Ten Hag built a team with a new spine but it has been fractured and frayed. They can count the cost of Sevilla’s visit to Old Trafford; the loss of two goals was accompanied by the loss of two centre-backs, with Lisandro Martinez’s season over and Raphael Varane sidelined ever since. Take each out and United are less secure, less confident, less capable of playing out from the back. It has felt a reversion to the problems Ole Gunnar Solskjaer bequeathed: Harry Maguire had a harrowing outing in Seville and, partly because of suspension and injury, has not started since. Victor Lindelof has at least been decent as a deputy; United have only conceded in the last three games because of individual errors, though Luke Shaw’s late handball at Brighton and David de Gea’s almost inexplicable inability to save Said Benrahma’s tame shot at West Ham cost two points. But De Gea has had twin terrible nights in the last month, following his disastrous night in Seville. Now there seems a soft underbelly. Further forward, the relief of seeing players making swifter-than-expected recoveries from injury has given way to questions if they were rushed back when neither has regained form. Christian Eriksen was excellent against Nottingham Forest but has been more subdued since. Rashford scored one and made another against Spurs but has otherwise had five fruitless outings since returning in the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan. Which has assumed a greater importance, given the way he carried United through winter, through an inspired run of 18 goals and four assists in 19 games. It makes it a still greater indictment of his teammates that United only have 49 league goals and could yet end up with their second lowest in the Premier League era, ahead only of Louis van Gaal’s self-defeatingly dull team of 2015-16. A tally of 98 in all competitions at least sounds healthier but others have scarcely eased the burden on Rashford: Anthony Martial has no goals in his last eight outings, Wout Weghorst none in 12, Antony one in 14, Jadon Sancho one in 17. The supporting cast have offered too little support. Finishing is a problem for a team struggling to end the season in style; they have underperformed their expected goals in ten of their last 11 league games. The need for a striking signing was apparent long before Weghorst descended into utter ineffectuality, but United’s budget could depend in part on qualifying for the Champions League. And when one route was closed off, it felt less of a blow than it may now prove to be. United were shocking against Sevilla, providing the latest addition to a series of terrible displays that have punctuated their season. But they were six points ahead of Tottenham and 12 clear of Liverpool then. A top-four finish still appeared overwhelmingly likely. Now the gap to Jurgen Klopp’s team is down to one and it has been downgraded to just probable. Ten Hag has placed great faith in United’s bouncebackability: every time after August they suffered a setback, they had an immediate response. Until they lost at Brighton and then at West Ham. Now it is Wolves, Bournemouth, Chelsea and Fulham amid the danger that, after a season that has offered grounds for optimism and plenty of evidence of improvement, the league table could make talk of progress look an illusion. Read More Is Vinicius the best player in the world right now? 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Tom Aspinall has revealed that he offered not to headline UFC London this July, after the UFC hesitated to book his fight with Marcin Tybura as a main event. The UFC announced this week that Aspinall will fight Tybura in a headline bout on 22 July, marking the British heavyweight’s third straight main event at the O2 Arena. However, the UFC was considering alternative options until recently, Aspinall told The Independent on Friday (12 May). “Me and Tybura actually know each other personally,” Aspinall said. “We were both looking for fights and believed that none of the heavyweights were really free, so we said, ‘Let’s get a fight going with each other.’ “I asked the UFC matchmakers when I was in London [for UFC 286 in March], and they were like, ‘We’re keen on it, we just don’t know if Tybura is a big enough name to do a main event.’ “I started seeing people were getting booked for this event, so I messaged the UFC again and asked: ‘What’s going on? Why have you not sent me a contract yet?’ They said, ‘We’re not overly thrilled on this for a main event.’ So, I said: ‘I don’t mind not fighting in the main event, just give me a fight.’ “They said they were gonna try a couple of other opponents first, because they wanted me as a main event. The opponents declined, so I’m fighting Tybura. That’s where we’re at.” Aspinall headlined UFC London in March 2022 – the promotion’s first event in Britain since the Covid pandemic began – and submitted Alexander Volkov in the first round. At the time, the Fight Night broke the record for the highest-grossing sports event in O2 Arena history. Four months later, Aspinall headlined at the venue again but suffered a knee injury just 15 seconds into his fight with Curtis Blaydes. When Aspinall, 30, faces Poland’s Tybura on 22 July, the Briton will be returning to the ring 364 days after his ill-fated fight with Blaydes. It is a testament to the UFC’s belief in Aspinall that the promotion proceeded in booking his bout with Tybura as a main event, four months after UFC 286 took place at the O2 – the first UFC pay-per-view in Britain since 2016. And while Aspinall insisted that he is “thrilled” to be headlining under the dome again, and acknowledged that the UFC views him as a future “title contender or champion”, he also offered a self-deprecating take. “I think the UFC sells itself, really,” he told The Independent. “You could have two 10-year-old girls fighting each other, and they’d probably sell out the O2. Especially in this country now, when we’re in a massive boom for MMA, I think you could put basically anyone on and it would do well. But for them to have faith in me is a dream. I’m so privileged to be able to represent the UK again, I’m over the moon.” Aspinall’s professional record stands at 12-3 with nine knockout wins and three submissions. Eleven of his 12 victories have come in the first round, with the other occurring in Round 2. Prior to his injury against Blaydes, Aspinall had won eight fights in a row. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More UFC heavyweight Tom Aspinall: Year with injury was ‘one of the best of my life’ Tom Aspinall vs Marcin Tybura revealed as UFC London main event UFC London ticket prices as July fights are announced UFC’s Tom Aspinall: Year with injury was ‘one of the best of my life’ ‘Nobody really knows what I can do’ says fit-again Aspinall UFC London main event revealed as British star returns from injury