Pros react after Tom Aspinall TKO’s Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304

Tonight’s UFC 304 event was co-headlined by an interim heavyweight title fight featuring Tom Aspinall taking on Curtis Blaydes.

‘Honey Badger’ and ‘Razor’ were meeting for a second time this evening in Manchester. Their first bout was back in July of 2022 where it was Blaydes emerging victorious by TKO only 15 seconds into Round 1 due to a knee injury suffered by the Brit.

Tom Aspinall (15-3 MMA) was returning to action for the first time since claiming the interim heavyweight title with a first-round knockout victory over Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295. Prior to that, the Manchester native had earned a TKO victory over Marcin Tybura.

Meanwhile, Curtis Blaydes (18-5 MMA) had most previously fought and defeated Jailton Almeida (21-3 MMA) by KO this past March at UFC 299. ‘Razor’ had won four of his past five Octagon appearances overall ahead of tonight’s affair.

Tonight’s UFC 304 co-main event resulted in a short-lived affair. After Curtis Blaydes was able to get off a few decent punches, Tom Aspinall quickly blitzed the American and landed a big right hand that sent ‘Razor’ crashing to the canvas. From there, the Brit quickly pounced on Blaydes with a plethora of ground and pound, forcing the referee to step in and call the fight (see that here).

Official UFC 304 Results: Tom Aspinall def. Curtis Blaydes via TKO (punches) at 1:00 of Round 1

Check out how the pros reacted to ‘Aspinall vs. Blaydes 2’ below:

The kick is what injured Tom last fight. The kick is also Blaydes opportunity to counter. If Tom stays away from the kicks, I think his speed and ability allows him to do what he wants. #ufc304

— Alan Jouban (@AlanJouban) July 28, 2024

Heavy. Weights. Here we go… #ufc304

— Michael Chandler (@MikeChandlerMMA) July 28, 2024

Tom looks in tremendous shape! #ufc304

— Alan Jouban (@AlanJouban) July 28, 2024

Post-fight reactions to Tom Aspinall defeating Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304:

Quick work by Tom! He moves like a Lightweight! #UFC304

— Henry Cejudo (@HenryCejudo) July 28, 2024

https://twitter.com/AlanJouban/status/1817412572280226120

Tom Aspinall special person unbelievable, Athlete no disrespect to Jon this is not close

— Ali Abdelaziz (@AliAbdelaziz00) July 28, 2024

God da da da da damn got my boy #ufc304

— Joaquin New Mansa Buckley (@Newmansa94) July 28, 2024

Amazing performance from Aspinall. Gutted for Blaydes to get done like that. Live and we learn, move on and get better #UFC304

— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) July 28, 2024

Tom is a legit black belt was raised in a Bjj gym his father owned growing up. Awful take my man. https://t.co/km8eADvYol

— Brendan Schaub (@BrendanSchaub) July 28, 2024

Who would you like to see Tom Aspinall fight next following his TKO victory over Curtis Blaydes this evening in Manchester?