It’s official: the UFC is returning to England again this year, and fans will be happy to hear that it will be for a numbered card rather than a Fight Night. UFC President Dana White sat down with TNT Sports’ Adam Catterall to discuss the upcoming pay-per-view on April 13, UFC 300 and also gave some insight into the organization’s upcoming plans for Europe.
UFC returning to England
”We’re coming (the UFC), and I’ve got great fights lined up for the UK fans, and I’m excited to get back there,” said Dana White when asked if the UFC were returning to Britain soon.
While we don’t have any news about any potential card yet, White correctly pointed out that the UFC currently has two champions from England. They are the welterweight champion from Birmingham, Leon Edwards, and the interim heavyweight champ, Tom Aspinall, who hails from Salford. It would be an educated guess to assume one of those two will headline a pay-per-view event in England, but could we see both in action?
Leon Edwards has been without an opponent since defeating Colby Covington in their grudge match back in December. He was in line to defend his belt at UFC 300, but unfortunately, multiple opponents fell out of the fight, as revealed by Dana White at the UFC 298 post-fight press conference. It makes sense for him to defend his title once again on home soil, particularly given that he’s now a bonafide star on this side of the Atlantic. The UK’s other title holder, Tom Aspinall, has been edging toward a fight with either Stipe Miocic or Jon Jones, but Dana White doesn’t seem too interested in that fight at the moment: ”Look, [Jon] Jones is set to fight Stipe [Miocic]. I hope the winner of that fight will fight Tom [Aspinall].”
It seems, then, that Aspinall will have to defend his interim title if he wants to keep active, and considering he doesn’t hold an undisputed title, it’s more than feasible that the interim title could also be on the line in England later this year. According to Dana White, we can expect to hear the confirmation of the date and venue any day now.
The most recent PPV on the British Isles was UFC 286, just over twelve months ago when Leon Edwards defended his welterweight title for the first time at the O2 Arena against Kamaru Usman – the man he won the belt from in scintillating fashion with the famous head kick five months earlier. Edwards has been clamoring for the UFC to hold an event in Villa Park, the stadium of English Premier League team Aston Villa. A stadium show seems unlikely, and rumors are swirling that the UFC will not hold the event in London at the O2 Arena this time and instead will seek a venue in Birmingham or Manchester.
Notable UFC events held in the United Kingdom
UFC 286: Leon Edwards (C) vs. Kamaru Usman – March 18, 2023
Fight Night: Curtis Blaydes vs. Tom Aspinall – July 23, 2022
Fight Night: Darren Till vs. Jorge Masvidal – March 16, 2019
UFC 204: Michael Bisping vs. Dan Henderson 2 – October 8, 2016
Fight Night: Anderson Silva vs. Michael Bisping – February 27, 2016
UFC 38: Matt Hughes vs. Carlos Newton -July 13, 2002
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