The UFC is set to return for UFC London in England on March 22nd and the fight card for the event has been gradually taking shape during the opening weeks of 2025.
Huge Main Event Confirmed For UFC London
Just last week an intriguing featherweight clash between two former Cage Warriors champions was added to a lineup that already includes former light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz and UK fan favourite Molly McCann.
The event received a massive shot in the arm this week with the confirmation that former UFC champion Leon Edwards (22-4-1 NC MMA, 14-3-1 NC UFC) will headline the show as one half of a fascinating contest with Australian welterweight contender Jack Della Maddalena (17-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC) during UFC London.
Leon Edwards will fight Jack Della Maddalena at #UFCLondon on March 22nd. (first rep. @Bendaman2001) #UFC #MMA #UFCESPN #UFC2025 #MainEvent pic.twitter.com/7l7KjUyaOm
— Marcel Dorff 🇳🇱🇮🇩 (@BigMarcel24) January 14, 2025
Dethroned Champion Looks To Bounce Back At UFC London
“Rocky” returns to competitive action for the first time since losing his belt to Belal Muhammad by unanimous decision at UFC 304 in Manchester last July. Prior to that, the Birmingham native had been unbeaten in thirteen fights, a run stretching as far back as 2015.
Edwards upset the odds to win the welterweight title at UFC 278 back in 2022 when he spectacularly knocked out long-time champion Kamaru Usman in the final round in Salt Lake City.
He went on to beat Usman again in a rematch at UFC 286 seven months later and successfully defended the belt again at UFC 296 late in 2023 against Colby Covington.
Edwards went into UFC 304 as a massive favorite to beat Belal Muhammad but struggled to withstand the persistent pressure from his opponent and now finds himself facing a battle to work his way back toward title contention. He hopes to bring out new and exciting variants in their battle, which he has been working on in the build to this fight.
“To my fans I’m sorry I couldn’t get the job done this time,” Edwards wrote on Instagram following that defeat. “I have been through harder times than this in life and I will rise again. Thanks for all the love and support I will get this back in blood.”
Opportunity Knocks For JDM at UFC London
Edwards finds himself paired against Jack Della Maddalena, one of the hottest prospects in a welterweight division stacked with elite level talents. The 28-year-old Australian has enjoyed a perfect start to his UFC career, picking up seven consecutive wins since linking up with the promotion two years ago.
Della Maddalena has carved out a reputation as one of the most dangerous strikers in the division following finishes over Pete Rodriguez, Ramazan Emeev, Danny Roberts, Randy Brown and Gilbert Burns.
That victory over Burns in particular boosted his stock tremendously and there’s no doubt that a victory over a former champion such as Leon Edwards would thrust “JDM” straight into the complicated title discussion at 170 lbs.
Belal Muhammad looks set to defend his belt against Shavkat Rakhmonov, who recently defeated Ian Machado Garry at UFC 310. With Kamaru Usman, Sean Brady and Joaquin Buckley also floating around the upper echelons of the welterweight rankings, and Carlos Prates and Michael Morales climbing steadily, there’s no doubt that 170 lbs is one of the most exciting divisions in the world of MMA.
UFC London Confirmed Lineup
UFC London goes down at the 02 Arena in London, England on March 22nd. Check out some of the confirmed match ups for the event below:
Main event: Leon Edwards vs. Jack Della Maddalena (welterweight)
Mick Parkin vs. Marcin Tybura (heavyweight)
Jan Blachowicz vs. Carlos Ulberg (light heavyweight)
Alonzo Menifield vs. Oumar Sy (light heavyweight)
Shauna Bannon vs. Puja Tomar (strawweight)
Andrey Pulyaev vs. Christian Leroy Duncan (middleweight)
Molly McCann vs. Istela Nunes (strawweight)
Nathaniel Wood vs. Morgan Charriere (featherweight)
Caolan Loughran vs. Nathan Fletcher (bantamweight)
