5 fights We All Want To See At UFC London

With it finally announced that the UFC Octagon is returning to the O2 London for the first time in 3 years, here are 5 unconfirmed possible bouts we all want to see added to the already stacked card. UFC President, Dana White, recently told BT Sport’s Adam Caterall that ‘big things’ are coming to London, with fans expecting a stellar main card.

5. Jai Herbert vs Thiago Moises

The Black Country Banger has recently teased on his social media accounts that he has signed a bout agreement for the March 19th card making us the matchmakers. The Brummy born banger has had a tough ride in the UFC since his arrival in 2020, facing some veterans along the way, losing his first 2 bouts. Despite his turbulent start, Herbert got back into the winning column in October after KO’ing Khama Worthy in the first round. Herbert is a fighter who loves to get into a scrap with fans being the beneficiaries of his exciting fight style. There are a couple of stylistic matchups that suit Herbert, the likes of Fares Ziam and Nasrat Haqparast, but with those 2 names already booked up, the fight i’d like to see is Herbert vs Moises. This matchup may be a slight stretch considering the recent names Moises has been locked in the cage with, but he’s coming off the back of 2 losses and needs to get back into the win column himself.

4. Danny Roberts vs Daniel Rodriguez

Roberts fought in London the last time the promotion came to town, but unfortunately for the brit, his bout with surrounded by controversy. Roberts fought Brazilian, Claudio Silva and lost the bout due to verbal submission. Roberts was adamant he didn’t submit but it was too late as the bout was already called to a halt. Since then, the Blackzilians fighter has gone on to have a number of bouts cancelled and re-arranged due to COVID-19, but it hasn’t affected him. He has won his last 2 bouts against respectable Welterweight counterparts, Emeev and Imadaev. Daniel Rodriguez is a man who has been on a tare since competing on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2019, winning 6 of his 7 bouts, holding an impressive win over former UFC Lightweight, Kevin Lee. Neither of these fighters are scared to get into a scrap with fireworks to be expected if this fight is announced.

3. Paul Craig vs Volkan Oezdemir

Paul Craig was scheduled to fight Alexander Gustafsson back in September but due to injury, Gustafsson pulled out of the fight. BearJew finds himself unbeaten in his last 5 outings, winning performance of the night in 3 of them. The Scotsman confirmed that he thinks the March 19th card will be when he’s next in action giving fans the opportunity to play matchmaker again. The submission specialist also admitted that he plans to retire once he turns 35, giving MMA fans 1 more year to enjoy his unique style. With that being said, Craig currently sits at rank 11 in the Light Heavyweight division making his next fight intriguing. Volkan Oezdemir is a man who has previously fought in London, at a time when he was trying to get back into title contention. Since then, he has fell down the Light Heavyweight ladder but only due to the calibre of opponent he has been fed to, with his last 2 opponents being Jiri Prochazka and Magomed Ankalaev.

2. Darren Till vs Uriah Hall

This is a fight that has been rumoured for months, yet there seems to have been no progress. Darren Till currently stands as the UK’s most marketable UFC fighter, and with it being the first event in the UK for 3 years, you’d assume the promotion are going to try their best to have their most marketable fighter headline. As exciting and intriguing as this fight is, this isn’t many fans preferred headliner as Till is currently on a 2 fight skid. Having said that, Dana has teased at ‘big things’ so the UK MMA world is expecting those promises to be granted and for this fight to possibly be announced with a stellar co-main event too. For Till, this is a matchup that with a win, it will reignite the confidence that he can get himself back into title contention. Not only that, it’s a fight the fans don’t know they want until it’s midway through round 1 and they’re grateful they’re witnessing it. It has the possibility of being an exciting chess match, similar to that of Till vs Whittaker, but this time, Till will enter the possible bout as the favourite to get his hand raised.

1. Arnold Allen vs Dan Hooker

This is another bout that has been recently rumoured for the UFC’s return to London and boy, don’t we deserve it. The potential of this fight alone emanates excitement. Dan Hooker made the MMA world clear of his intentions to return to his previous weight class of Featherweight by doing a test cut down after his loss to Islam Makhachev. On the other side of the coin you have Arnold Allen. A growing name at the top of the UK MMA scene. ‘Almighty’ is currently riding an 8 fight win streak, deserving of a step up in opponent and a headline spot. Allen has recently been training with former ONE Championship Muay Thai Flyweight champion, Jonathon Haggerty, leaving fans no doubt that his striking has gone up another level. The possibility of war in this fight makes it a no brainer, but the question is, will it be a 5 round war or will it co-main to a Till vs Hall main event.

With Dana White promising UK MMA fans ‘Big things’, can we expect a number of these mentioned fights to be added to the already stacked March 19th comeback card, or are our hopes to high?