UFC London is the gift that keeps on giving. The March 19th card keeps growing and growing, with the promotion announcing two more exciting bouts today.
After months and months of waiting, the UFC has finally announced the MMA debut of super-prospect Muhammad Mokaev. The former two-time IMMAF champion will be facing Cody Durden in a Flyweight bout in the O2 Arena.
Alongside that announcement came a Women’s Strawweight bout between Welsh fighter Cory “Poppins” McKenna and former CFFC Women’s Strawweight champion Elise Reed.
🏴 @CoryMcKenna99 v Elise Reed
🇬🇧 @muhammadmokaev v Cody DurdenTwo more fights added to #UFCLondon including a huge debut! pic.twitter.com/Gn4GUQtKQv
— UFC on TNT Sports (@ufcontnt) January 26, 2022
Muhammad Mokaev vs. Cody Durden
Mokaev is currently coming into his UFC debut on an impressive 30 win streak – twenty-five of those amassed during his amateur career. The Team GB member is no stranger to the ground game, impressing fans and fighters alike with his impressive run within the IMMAF competitions that he competed in.
His opponent, Durden, fought last November at UFC Vegas 43 against “Mongolian Murderer” Qileng Aori. The American secured his unanimous decision win giving fans a brutal 15-minute performance. Durden himself debuted into the UFC in 2020 on a seven-win streak and has had an interesting career in the promotion thus far.
This matchup may bring drama to the March event, as Mokaev himself requested to “smash” Durden for the comments the latter had made during his post-fight interview against Aori that have been deemed by many to be racist.
I don’t like Cody Durden racist comment in his interview. Should I smash this guy for my UFC debut? @UFCEurope @ufc
— Muhammad Mokaev (@muhammadmokaev) November 20, 2021
Cory McKenna vs. Elise Reed
As the UK’s youngest debutee in the UFC, “Poppins” comes into UFC London with a 6-1 professional record. She won her UFC contract by an impressive unanimous decision win against Vanessa Demopoulos during week two of Dana White’s Contender Series back in 2020. She then secured a debut win via another unanimous decision against Kay Hansen, and will be dropping down a weight class in her sophomore outing.
Reed, on the other hand, comes in on a 4-1 record and a losing streak. Her 4-win streak carried over from her run in CFFC was tarnished during her 2021 debut against Sijara Eubanks. The former CFFC champ lost via a vicious ground and pound almost four minutes into the first round, albeit on short notice in a higher weight class than her usual Strawweight.
Tickets for UFC London go on sale to the public on February 4th.
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