In recent weeks, the UFC has signed a whole host of British talent. Four signings, one in the wings waiting to make her debut and three set to feature on the Contender Series, the British are beginning to take over the UFC.
In recent years, Brits have had a lot of success in the UFC, with Leon Edwards capturing the welterweight strap, Lerone Murphy riding high in the featherweight division and of course, Tom Aspinall holding the heavyweight belt, British MMA is booming. The PFL also boasts two British tournament champions in Alfie Davis and Fabian Edwards.
We take a look at the Brits that have recently signed for the UFC and who they could be matched up with in their debuts.
The British Revolution of the UFC
Kennedy Freeman
Kennedy Freeman holds an undefeated record of 6-0 and was the CageWarriors bantamweight champion before relinquishing the belt to join the UFC.
She boasts four finishes and is also the daughter of former UFC heavyweight, Ian Freeman. The latter was the first British person to fight in the UFC, as well as being the first man to beat Frank Mir.
KENNEDY FREEMAN HAS BIG POWER!!!#CW172 pic.twitter.com/RReeDRfa42
— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) May 25, 2024
The Machine 2.0 was scheduled to make her debut at UFC Paris next week against Yuneisy Duben, however, both women got injured.
Let’s hope to see her make her debut at some point this year!
Shem Rock
Welcome to the Shem show. The Next Generation prospect holds an impressive record of 12-1-1 and has proven himself in other big promotions. He’s had five outings for Oktagon MMA and is riding a seven fight undefeated run.
There are already rumours of Rock getting a big fight on his debut, with names such as Renato Moicano being on the lips of the brash talker. What we do know is that he’s signed his first fight contract, so expect to see Shem Rock in a UFC octagon soon.
Got an official date just waiting for “other guy” To sign on the dotted line 👀 #ufc
— Shem Show (@shemrockufc) August 28, 2025
Louis Lee Scott
The undefeated Louis Lee Scott secured a contract on week 2 of this year’s Contender Series. With a record of 10-0, with eight finishes, Lightning lived up to the hype when he made the step up.
On his Contender Series outing, despite missing weight, he massively impressed fans and Dana White alike. He showed a well-rounded stand-up game, working both the body and head well to get the third round finish.
Having proven himself on Ares, where he held the bantamweight strap, as well as having an outing on Anthony Pettis’ promotion and he also holds a knockout win for the PFL. To top it off, he trains out of the in-form Manchester Top Team.
Luke Riley
Another undefeated Brit has recently signed for the UFC in the shape of 11-0, Luke Riley. The 26 year old was scheduled to feature on the Contender Series in September of last year, however, was forced out of the bout with visa issues. He returned to Cage Warriors to score a second round knockout, which, in turn proved to be enough for the UFC to gain his signature.
Its official signed for the @ufc 😎💥 pic.twitter.com/cYSznD7W6I
— Luke Riley (@LukeRileyMMA) August 20, 2025
The former Muay Thai competitor made the switch to MMA in 2019. Training out of Next Generation in Liverpool, Riley follows Paddy Pimblett and Molly McCann who have both had success out of the gym in the UFC.
The young prospect has had high praise from Pimblett, with The Baddy stating, “My man Luke Riley finally put pen to paper. Was a long time coming but it was inevitable. All you featherweights aren’t ready for my boy, watch”.
Riley joins fellow Brits, Lerone Murphy, Arnold Allen and Nathaniel Wood in the featherweight division, which is a booming division at the moment.
Louie Sutherland
The Vanilla Gorilla, Louie Sutherland only put pen to paper on August 20th, however, is already scheduled for his first outing on September 28th in Perth. He”ll be stepping into enemy territory, however, as he clashes with Justin Tafa.
Sutherland trains out of Great Britain Top Team with a record of 10-3. He’s competed for the PFL and Bellator, so is no stranger to big promotions. Despite having three losses on his record, the Scotsman has never been finished and has dished out eight knockouts on his way to the UFC.
Sutherland is bound to be a fan favourite with his kill or be killed style and we’ll see just what he has to offer in Perth.
Contender Series Hopefuls
Raphael Uchegbu
10-1 Raphael Uchegbu will compete on the Contender Series on September 16th in pursuit of a UFC contract. The former PFL contender will clash with Cody Chovancek of Canada at bantamweight with the hope of breathing some British life into the UFC’s 135lbs division.
Uchegbu had notched nine finishes across his 10 wins, enjoying a run of four straight finishes on his road to Vegas.
Shanelle Dyer
Arguably Britain’s hottest prospect, Shanelle Dyer, will headline the Contender Series on September 9th against Carol Foro. The 24 year old Brit will look to take the UFC by storm as she looks to continue her undefeated 6-0 record in Vegas.
With four finishes and a fan-friendly style, Dyer will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of fellow female Brits in the UFC.
Kurtis Campbell
The Pink Panther, Kurtis Campbell, like Dyer and Uchegbu, will look to make a splash in the UFC when he competes on the Contender Series at the end of September.
With a 7-1 amateur record and an undefeated 7-0 professional record, Campbell is a hot prospect out of The MMA Academy in Liverpool. With such a well-rounded style, Campbell can cause anyone problems and at just 23 years old, the young featherweight has a huge future ahead of him.
With a massive fan base out of Liverpool, Campbell has what it takes to become a mega star, however, he must get past Demba Seck first.
