If Saturday’s performance is any indication, the hype around English heavyweight Tom Aspinall is very much deserved.

Aspinall (12-2 MMA, 5-0 UFC looked absolutely scintillating en route to scoring a first-round submission win over Russian stalwart Alexander Volkov (34-10 MMA, 8-4 UFC). The contest served as the main event of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 204 event, which streamed live on ESPN+ from The O2 Arena in London.

Aspinall was quick to attack early, wasting little time before chopping at the legs and flicking out rapid punches against the taller Volkov. He then just as quickly drove forward and wrapped the body, taking the action to the floor. As Aspinall controlled from the top, he postured up and began raining down elbows first, then punches after. Volkov was bleeding early, but the veteran battled his way back to the feet and looked to utilize his vaunted striking game.

While Aspinall briefly slipped to the canvas as they traded blows, he was able to recover quickly, slip a punch and drive through for a takedown, where he landed a few more strikes before isolating the left arm and scoring a submission win at the 3:45 mark of the first frame via straight armlock.

While there some concern Aspinall might struggle in his first UFC headliner, the 28-year-old Aspinall delivered in fine fashion and said he welcomes the greater challenges that await.

“Listen people, I’ve been telling everybody all week, I’m born for this,” Aspinall said. “I’m ready.”

Aspinall entered the contest ranked No. 11 in the UFC’s heavyweight division but will unquestionably make a big move after taking out Volkov, who was No. 6. His eyes are even higher up the list, and he asked for a future booking with No. 3-ranked Australian slugger Tai Tuivasa (15-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC).

In the night’s co-feature, English featherweight Arnold Allen (18-1 MMA, 9-0 UFC) picked up the biggest win of his career with a stunning first-round TKO of New Zealand’s Dan Hooker (21-12 MMA, 11-8 UFC).

While Allen was expected to try and utilize his grappling game against the larger Hooker, who was moving down 10 pounds from the lightweight division, it was his striking that ultimately got the job done. Scoring clean with an early two-punch combination, Allen clearly staggered his opponent and began to just rifle off punches. A game Hooker refused to back down and even landed a big left hand that made Allen take a step back, but “Almighty” simply gave himself a quick breather and then began his assault again.

Allen’s hands found his opponent’s chin yet again, beginning another flurry, and this time the 28-year-old contender would not be denied. Powerful hooks scored clean and then gave way to a high kick, and Hooker backed to the cage and covered. Allen was relentless with aggressive punches and elbows, and the fight was waved off at the 2:33 mark of the opening round.

After the win, Allen joked with UFC commentator Michael Bisping about their pre-fight meeting, where the former UFC champ was apparently one of the many who thought he would take a different approach to the fight.

“Before you say anything, Mike told me I had to wrestle,” Allen said. “I said I’m f-cking English. We don’t wrestle. What are you talking about?”

Allen came into the matchup sitting at No. 7 in the UFC’s official featherweight rankings, though he could possibly move further up with the result. He called for a matchup with No. 5-ranked Calvin Kattar (23-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC).

“I think that would be a fight that people would want to see.

In one of the most anticipated contests of the night, fast-rising English star and fan-favorite Paddy Pimblett (18-3 MMA, 2-0 UFC) scored a first-round submission victory over Mexican lightweight Kazula Vargas (12-5 MMA, 1-3 UFC).

The result wasn’t one that came easy, with Vargas appearing to daze Pimblett in the opening seconds with a few well-timed punches and briefly controlling the fight on the floor. However, “The Baddy” was able to work back to his feet, and Vargas made the mistake of spending too much time in the clinch against the cage. Pimblett capitalized with a beautiful hip toss, sending the action back to the canvas, where he was able to slip to his opponent’s back and sink in a rear-naked choke, forcing Vargas to tap at the 3:49 mark of the opening frame.

“It wasn’t as clean as I like, but are you not entertained?” Pimblett asked following his win. “I’m never, ever, ever, ever in a boring fight, lad.”

While he’s just two fights into his UFC career, Pimblett has a passionate following, and he’s already calling for the UFC to visit his native Liverpool for a stadium event.

“See this arena, The O2?” Pimblett asked. “Too small. Too small. Get me a stadium. Get us to Anfield, and we’ll fill it.”

Complete UFC Fight Night 204 results include:

MAIN CARD

• Tom Aspinall def. Alexander Volkov via submission (straight armlock) – Round 1, 3:45
• Arnold Allen def. Dan Hooker via TKO (punches, elbows) – Round 1, 2:33
• Paddy Pimblett def. Kazula Vargas via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:49
• Gunnar Nelson def. Takashi Sato unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)
• Molly McCann def. Luana Carolina via knockout (spinning elbow) – Round 3, 1:52
• Ilia Topuria def. Jai Herbert via knockout (punch) – Round 2, 1:07

PRELIMINARY CARD

• Makwan Amirkhani def. Mike Grundy via technical submission (anaconda choke) – Round 1, 0:57
• Sergei Pavlovich def. Shamil Abdurakhimov via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:03
• Paul Craig def. Nikita Krylov via submission (triangle choke) – Round 1, 3:57
• Jack Shore def. Timur Valiev via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-27)
• Elise Reed def. Cory McKenna via split decision (27-30, 29-28, 29-28)
• Muhammad Mokaev def. Cody Durden via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 0:58