Huge Matchup Set For UFC London
The UFC is set to return to London, England on March 22nd. No headline bout for UFC London has been announced as of yet, although tantalising rumors of a possible main event between former welterweight champion Leon Edwards and Australian contender Jack Della Maddalena have been doing the rounds this week.
Paddy Pimblett is another contender to top the bill at UFC London but nothing has been confirmed, although the Scouse lightweight did hint at a possible fight against Michael Chandler recently.
“Nice end to the year to be honest,’ Pimblett said on his YouTube channel during the Christmas holidays. “I’m in good shape, about 84, 85 kilos. People have been speculating about who I’m fighting, this and that. I’m coming for that belt. So I’m looking for higher ranked fighters and I’m sure you’ll see a fight announcement soon enough.
“I’ve said yeah, the opponent said yeah, just need to get stuff signed. So you know the score everyone. Like, comment and subscribe and I’ll see you at the top.”
2 Former Cage Warriors Champions Set To Collide During UFC London
While UFC fans wait to hear which megastars will top the bill at the O2 Arena for UFC London, the rest of the card has gradually been filling up with familiar UK and European based names.
Liverpool’s own Molly McCann and the undefeated Mick Parkin should draw plenty of support from the home crowd, while the likes of Jan Blachowicz, Shauna Bannon and Oumar Sy won’t have far to travel when fight week comes around.
Also announced this week is a featherweight matchup between former Cage Warriors bantamweight champion Nathaniel Wood (20-6 MMA, 8-3 UFC) and former Cage Warriors featherweight champion Morgan Charriere (20-10-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC).
London-born Wood goes into this bout in strong form having made the move up to 145 lbs back in 2022. The Great Britain Top Team representative had hit a difficult patch after s strong beginning to his UFC career, and two losses in three fights at the hands of John Dodson and Casey Kenney convinced “The Prospect” to test the waters in a higher weight class.
Having won four out of five fights since that move, the 31-year-old will feel vindicated by that decision. Wood won eight fights (either by submission or KO) on the bounce between 2016-2019 across three different promotions (Bellator, Cage Warriors and the UFC) and at his best can trouble almost any opponent on the planet.
“The Last Pirate” Returns At UFC London
Standing across the Octagon from Wood will be Morgan Charriere. The Frenchman has enjoyed some spectacular moments in his short UFC career so far, particularly when fighting in front of the famed Parisian fans.
“The Last Pirate” knocked out Italy’s Manolo Zecchini in front of 15,000 screaming French fans in the opening round of his UFC debut in September 2023. He lost his next bout by split decision against Chepe Mariscal at the UFC Apex, but returned to the Accor Arena in Paris last September where he pulled off a beautiful left hook KO finish over Gabriel Miranda.
Charriere fought nine times in Cage Warriors from 2019-2023, winning the UK-based promotion’s 145-lb title when he beat Perry Goodwin in December of 2020. He lost his belt to current UFC fighter Jordan Vucenic in his next outing before coming up short in an exciting battle against current PFL megastar Paul Hughes upon his return.
Three consecutive wins in the famous yellow gloves saw the 29-year-old snapped up by the UFC and he now must face Nathaniel Wood in front of a London crowd that will be baying for his blood.
List of fights confirmed for UFC London so far:
Mick Parkin vs. Marcin Tybura
Jan Blachowicz vs. Carlos Ulberg
Alonzo Menifield vs. Oumar Sy