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Even before Sean Brady’s submission of Leon Edwards closed out a disappointing night for U.K. mixed martial arts Saturday at The O2 in London, criticism of the fight card was already palpable.
Those who attended the event were struck by the flat atmosphere, with only four finishes in 13 bouts. Much to the partisan crowd’s chagrin, three of the four stoppages were inflicted on English fighters. Two of those fighters — Edwards and Molly McCann — had previously been the source of highlight-reel moments cherished by the British fight fans.
There is no doubt that this U.K. event, coming so soon after the UFC 304 all-nighter in Manchester last summer, certainly added to the fans’ frustration. Already being squeezed on the price point for U.K. cards, many of those who parted ways with their hard-earned cash felt like they didn’t get much bang for their buck on both occasions.
Since Brady’s domination of Edwards,, the what-have-you-done-for-me-lately voices have been out in force. Edwards, who was close to being unanimously heralded as the greatest fighter in the history of the U.K. after his knockout and subsequent decision win over Kamaru Usman to claim the UFC welterweight title, is now being described as a never-was.
Parsing through the online debris of the event, there was a profound sense that the bubble had burst for the U.K. scene. Discussions focused on the poor run of results, with a second consecutive loss for Edwards hammering the point home. To some it all read as though UFC London was the death knell for a previously declared golden era in the U.K MMA scene.
However, you only needed to look at those sitting Octagon-side to know that the brightest days for the region could still come to fruition in the not-too distant future.
While UFC London may have disappointed, there's still reason for optimism about the U.K. MMA scene. (Peter van den Berg-Imagn Images)
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect / Reuters
While some might see it as an indictment of the event, the shot of UFC interim heavyweight champ Tom Aspinall holding up a toy duck will be one of the lasting images of the night. People in the know pointed to this week as a crucial point for negotiations in his highly anticipated clash with champ Jon Jones.
Thankfully, per his update on "The Ariel Helwani Show" this week, there’s fresh hope that the fight will finally come together this year.
“After the meeting, I’m feeling very optimistic about things,” Aspinall told Helwani. “I’m in a really, really good spot with everything and my future moving forward. I think it’s exciting times, man. Really exciting times.”
Sitting a few yards away from Aspinall was Paddy Pimblett, a man who injected pure adrenaline into the sleepy-eyed sightseers in Manchester. His upcoming clash with Michael Chandler is an acknowledgement of the star power he proved he had last July. With a victory, he could be knocking on the door of title contention — and it doesn’t hurt that he has a storied rivalry with the hottest new addition to the division, UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria.
Visible in the backdrop each time Aspinall showed up on the broadcast was Dakota Ditcheva. The flyweight queen of PFL has proven so dominant that the promotion is struggling to find her a relevant opponent. Conversations about her being added to the UFC roster have intensified ever since her title win over former UFC flyweight contender Taila Santos. Should the UFC seal the deal, she would be a perfect candidate to fill the void left by McCann, who gracefully bowed out of competition following her loss to debutant Alexia Thainara.
We must also not forget Arnold Allen, who’s still featured in the featherweight top-10 rankings along with Lerone Murphy, who’ll look for a significant jump from his current spot when he faces Josh Emmett next week in their headline clash at the UFC Apex.
Although the outlook from the event was not wholly positive, Londoner Nathaniel Wood put on a fantastic display against fellow former Cage Warriors champion Morgan Charriere, despite garnering underdog status ahead of their meeting.
Scotland’s Chris Duncan made quick work of another Cage Warriors alum in Jordan Vucenic, underlining the evident improvements he’s made to his game since joining the promotion. Lone’er Kavanagh also spotlighted his prospect status in a Fight of the Night candidate against Felipe dos Santos. Despite making the walk for only the second time in the UFC, his teammate Wood already believes that he is capable of giving flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja a run for his money.
During the post-mortem of the event, several posts on social media compared last weekend’s card to the greatest London marquee of all time, the Aspinall vs. Volkov offering back in 2022. Having attended the vast majority of UFC events held at The O2, there is no denying the electric atmosphere in the arena that night. But it is also an unrealistic comparison to make.
Not only was that card packed with every single U.K. draw not named Leon Edwards, it was also the first London card since the pandemic stopped an event in the same location two years earlier. Far from being spoiled by a massive event just 10 months before, it was most fans’ first time being among a live crowd in literal years, which significantly added to the atmosphere.
If every MMA event in Dublin was compared to the magic night of the Irish Invasion in 2014, there would be no point in putting on a live show in Ireland at all.
There is no denying that last Saturday’s card was a bit of bust for the spectators, but the prospect of what lies ahead should dispel any belief that the U.K. scene’s well has run dry. Should Aspinall and Pimblett have their hands raised before the end of the year, there will be ample evidence that we are still living in the golden age of MMA in the U.K.
Continue reading...
Those who attended the event were struck by the flat atmosphere, with only four finishes in 13 bouts. Much to the partisan crowd’s chagrin, three of the four stoppages were inflicted on English fighters. Two of those fighters — Edwards and Molly McCann — had previously been the source of highlight-reel moments cherished by the British fight fans.
There is no doubt that this U.K. event, coming so soon after the UFC 304 all-nighter in Manchester last summer, certainly added to the fans’ frustration. Already being squeezed on the price point for U.K. cards, many of those who parted ways with their hard-earned cash felt like they didn’t get much bang for their buck on both occasions.
Since Brady’s domination of Edwards,, the what-have-you-done-for-me-lately voices have been out in force. Edwards, who was close to being unanimously heralded as the greatest fighter in the history of the U.K. after his knockout and subsequent decision win over Kamaru Usman to claim the UFC welterweight title, is now being described as a never-was.
Parsing through the online debris of the event, there was a profound sense that the bubble had burst for the U.K. scene. Discussions focused on the poor run of results, with a second consecutive loss for Edwards hammering the point home. To some it all read as though UFC London was the death knell for a previously declared golden era in the U.K MMA scene.
However, you only needed to look at those sitting Octagon-side to know that the brightest days for the region could still come to fruition in the not-too distant future.
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While UFC London may have disappointed, there's still reason for optimism about the U.K. MMA scene. (Peter van den Berg-Imagn Images)
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect / Reuters
Reasons to be cheerful
While some might see it as an indictment of the event, the shot of UFC interim heavyweight champ Tom Aspinall holding up a toy duck will be one of the lasting images of the night. People in the know pointed to this week as a crucial point for negotiations in his highly anticipated clash with champ Jon Jones.
Thankfully, per his update on "The Ariel Helwani Show" this week, there’s fresh hope that the fight will finally come together this year.
“After the meeting, I’m feeling very optimistic about things,” Aspinall told Helwani. “I’m in a really, really good spot with everything and my future moving forward. I think it’s exciting times, man. Really exciting times.”
Sitting a few yards away from Aspinall was Paddy Pimblett, a man who injected pure adrenaline into the sleepy-eyed sightseers in Manchester. His upcoming clash with Michael Chandler is an acknowledgement of the star power he proved he had last July. With a victory, he could be knocking on the door of title contention — and it doesn’t hurt that he has a storied rivalry with the hottest new addition to the division, UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria.
Visible in the backdrop each time Aspinall showed up on the broadcast was Dakota Ditcheva. The flyweight queen of PFL has proven so dominant that the promotion is struggling to find her a relevant opponent. Conversations about her being added to the UFC roster have intensified ever since her title win over former UFC flyweight contender Taila Santos. Should the UFC seal the deal, she would be a perfect candidate to fill the void left by McCann, who gracefully bowed out of competition following her loss to debutant Alexia Thainara.
We must also not forget Arnold Allen, who’s still featured in the featherweight top-10 rankings along with Lerone Murphy, who’ll look for a significant jump from his current spot when he faces Josh Emmett next week in their headline clash at the UFC Apex.
Although the outlook from the event was not wholly positive, Londoner Nathaniel Wood put on a fantastic display against fellow former Cage Warriors champion Morgan Charriere, despite garnering underdog status ahead of their meeting.
Scotland’s Chris Duncan made quick work of another Cage Warriors alum in Jordan Vucenic, underlining the evident improvements he’s made to his game since joining the promotion. Lone’er Kavanagh also spotlighted his prospect status in a Fight of the Night candidate against Felipe dos Santos. Despite making the walk for only the second time in the UFC, his teammate Wood already believes that he is capable of giving flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja a run for his money.
Better days ahead
During the post-mortem of the event, several posts on social media compared last weekend’s card to the greatest London marquee of all time, the Aspinall vs. Volkov offering back in 2022. Having attended the vast majority of UFC events held at The O2, there is no denying the electric atmosphere in the arena that night. But it is also an unrealistic comparison to make.
Not only was that card packed with every single U.K. draw not named Leon Edwards, it was also the first London card since the pandemic stopped an event in the same location two years earlier. Far from being spoiled by a massive event just 10 months before, it was most fans’ first time being among a live crowd in literal years, which significantly added to the atmosphere.
If every MMA event in Dublin was compared to the magic night of the Irish Invasion in 2014, there would be no point in putting on a live show in Ireland at all.
There is no denying that last Saturday’s card was a bit of bust for the spectators, but the prospect of what lies ahead should dispel any belief that the U.K. scene’s well has run dry. Should Aspinall and Pimblett have their hands raised before the end of the year, there will be ample evidence that we are still living in the golden age of MMA in the U.K.
Continue reading...
