The UFC returns to the United Kingdom with a featherweight fight between Brit Lerone Murphy and Movsar Evloev headlining a Fight Night card on March 21 at The O2.
It marks the first UFC card on this side of the pond in three years that isn’t headlined by Leon Edwards.
But, don’t fear because there are a series of exciting matchups and fighters that have the potential to raise the roof.
Here, ESPN takes you through every fight on London’s latest UFC event.
Melissa Mullins vs. Luana Carolina
With London often limited to one UFC card a year at most, many will be inside The O2 bright and early and they’ll have a British fighter to throw their support behind in the first fight of the night.
Melissa Mullins (7-2-0), someone who has won double gold at the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Championships, will be eager to put on a show at home and coming off a unanimous decision defeat, she’ll want to serve up a reminder of her credentials at this level.
Brazilian Luana Carolina (11-5-0), nicknamed “dread” is her opponent and comes into this one with two first-round finishes, and three wins by KO, one of those by Guillotine.
Tune in early, as this one could get the card going with a bang.
Reason it could steal the show: Mullins, nicknamed “No Mess,” is a double gold medal winner at the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation World Championships, the most high profile No Gi tournament, so beware of her submissions.
Shanelle Dyer vs. Ravena Oliveira
London native Shanelle Dyer (6-1-0) will make her UFC debut proper after a loss on Dana White’s Contender Series.
Standing in her way is Ravena Oliveira (7-3-1). Oliveira has fought twice in the UFC, losing both bouts, one of which by submission. To go 0-3 to start your career in the UFC would be a nightmare for the Brazilian. She does boast six professional wins by knockout and four first-round finishes prior to joining the company and will have to tap into that firepower against Dyer in a must-win fight.
Reason it could steal the show: The first two fights of the night will be England vs. Brazil so somebody will have a score to settle in this fight.
Shem Rock vs. Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady
Shem Rock (12-2-1), who trains out of Next Generation MMA in Liverpool alongside Paddy Pimblett and co-main eventer Luke Riley, may boast one of the most extraordinary MMA origin stories.
The Scouser spent seven years on the run from the police for a crime he was eventually found not guilty of. It was during this period he began training MMA and has fought in Malaysia and Cage Warriors before signing for the UFC. He lost his first fight for the company against Nurullo Aliev but will be hoping for a statement performance in his first UFC bout in the UK.
His opponent Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady (15-4-0), known as the “Pride of Palestine,” has held belts in Cage Warriors and Fury Fighting Championship, and like Rock, is looking to find his way in the UFC.
Reason it could steal the show: Could we see another Scouse star born? Liverpool is a hotbed of UFC talent and Rock will want to add his name to the list.
Mario Pinto vs. Felipe Franco
Ranked No. 15 in the heavyweight division, Mario Pinto (11-0-0) may be more well known for a post-fight monologue than his in-Octagon exploits so far.
In a clip that has now received millions of views online, Pinto, speaking after a win at UFC Rio last year, claims he doesn’t speak English before going on to speak the language perfectly. Who doesn’t love some post-fight comedy?
Outside of his mic skills though, Pinto is unbeaten in the UFC and could be a name mentioned at the top of the heavyweight mix in the next few years.
He’ll be looking for a fourth straight UFC TKO/KO and in his way will be Brazilian Felipe Franco (10-1-0), making his UFC debut proper after a Contender Series defeat.
Reason it could steal the show: The heavyweight division is wide open for a fresh contender. Can Pinto make a statement?
Mantas Kondratavicius vs. Antonio Trocoli
This one may be a relatively low-profile fight, but don’t be swayed into thinking there’s nothing riding on it.
Antonio Trocoli (12-6-0) has lost all three of his bouts in the UFC thus far and may be fighting for his career in the organisation.
Mantas Kondratavicius (8-1-0) meanwhile is coming off a Round 1 TKO Contender Series win and will be looking to put on a show against an opponent he is favoured to beat.
Reason it could steal the show: A heavy favourite against a fighter with nothing to lose, haven’t Hollywood gone down this route before?
Louie Sutherland vs. Brando Peričić
Another heavyweight bout on the card, Britain’s Louie Sutherland (10-4-0), got the UFC call while working a night shift at a railway. He went on to lose that fight by submission, but like many of the UK-based fighters on this card, this is his first opportunity to fight in front of a home crowd in the UFC.
Brando Peričić (5-1-0) has got one UFC fight under his belt and one nasty knockout win.
The “Balkan Bear” is a beast and with Sutherland weighing in at a whopping 264.5 pounds for his UFC debut, we are in a for a throwback heavyweight scrap.
Reason it could steal the show: An early finish is surely on the cards. Three of Sutherland’s last four fights haven’t got to the second round.
Nathaniel Wood vs. Losene Keita
Once embroiled in a war of words and a heated dispute with the headliner of this card, Lerone Murphy, Nathaniel Wood (22-6-0) had to pull out of that fight with an injury in 2023. He has since managed three wins on the bounce including against Jose Miguel Delgado last time out.
He’ll be facing a UFC debutant in the dangerous 28-year-old Losene Keita (16-1-0). The “Black Panther” has held belts in prominent Eastern European organisation Oktagon MMA and could not have asked for a tougher bout to start against the steely, experienced Wood.
Reason it could steal the show: Wood has not registered a UFC finish since 2019, so what better place for the London-born fighter to snap that record?
Mason Jones vs. Axel Sola
The last of the prelims sees Welshman Mason Jones (17-2-0) make a return to London after a defeat at The O2 in 2022 preceded his cut from the UFC and a return to Cage Warriors.
He returned to the company last year and recorded a victory over a big name in the lightweight division in Jeremy Stephens.
“I’m super excited to go there and reframe it and show that London is a homecoming for me. It’ll be nice to hear the crowd for me for a change,” Jones told the BBC ahead of his London return.
Standing in his way though, is unbeaten Frenchman Axel Sola (11-0-1), who began his UFC career with a knockout win against Rhys McKee last year.
Reason it could steal the show: Mason Jones is back in London with a point to prove, knowing this might be his last chance.
Kurtis Campbell vs. Danny Silva
Coming in unbeaten and with a fair amount of hype behind him, the “Pink Panther” Kurtis Campbell (8-0-0) is fresh off a dominant Contender Series win that earned him praise from the boss.
“Kurtis, incredible performance. Unlike the first fight, you actually lived up to being a 5/1 favourite. I didn’t get to see a lot of the action, but what I did see was damn good,” Dana White said of the Liverpudlian.
Looking to put a stop to another heavily-hyped fighter out of Liverpool on this card is American Danny Silva (10-2-0).
Reason it could steal the show: Silva has a heavy boxing base and he boasts fast hands and a notable stance switch. Home fighter Campbell must be wary.
Roman Dolidze vs. Christian Leroy Duncan
One of the bigger names on the card Roman Dolidze (15-4-0) has had some big results in his UFC career, including wins over former challengers Anthony Smith, Marvin Vettori and Kevin Holland in his last five.
He sits at No. 11 in the rankings and a convincing win on Saturday could see the Georgian put himself back into the middleweight conversation in the latter stages of his career after a dispiriting defeat against Anthony Hernandez headlining a Fight Night card at the Apex last time out.
Christian Leroy Duncan (13-2-0) is unbeaten when fighting in London and comes into a bout where a win could earn him a spot in the middleweight top 15, off the back off a brutal knockout of Marco Tulio last November. Should Duncan come away with a big win we could see a handing of the torch of sorts in the middleweight division.
Reason it could steal the show: A middleweight ranking is on the line for Duncan, in the division where Michael Bisping once reigned.
Iwo Baraniewski vs. Austen Lane
Poland’s Iwo Baraniewski (7-0-0) began his UFC career with a knockout win over Ibo Aslan. His aggressive striking prowess was on show in that win and he’ll look to bring that to fore again against journeyman Austen Lane (13-7-0).
Lane has just one UFC win in six attempts, and is looking for a change of fortunes with a move down to light heavyweight at the age of 38.
Reason it could steal the show: Baraniewski registered four knockdowns in 30 seconds of his first UFC fight — he provides fireworks.
Michael Page vs. Sam Patterson
This is a fight (or fighter) that in the eyes of many is box-office viewing. Whether it be flying knees or spinning kicks, any bout with the ever-entertaining and unorthodox Michael “Venom” Page (24-3-0) is must-see TV and this one is no different.
He faces the unranked Sam Patterson (14-2-1) in a fight that he was not entirely happy with.
“I came here for big fights, I came here for big names. Since my last fight I’ve been asking for absolutely everybody and for different reasons it seems no one is willing to take the fight,” Page said ahead of the Patterson fight.
“It’s definitely not the fight I was looking for … Definitely not a fight I wanted … I’m not sure what winning a fight like this means outside of a potential highlight reel.”
Patterson could be in line to bear the brunt of his frustrations on Saturday night.
Reason it could steal the show: This is the people’s main event, watch out for that “highlight reel” moment from Page. But can he guard against complacency after admitting he wouldn’t have chosen Patterson as an opponent?
Co-main event – Luke Riley vs Michael Aswell Jr.
Liverpool’s latest son gets the co-main event at The O2 and after a knockout win to begin his UFC career and with Paddy Pimblett set to be in his corner once again, we may be set for another blockbuster bout.
Riley’s exciting striking style born from a Muay Thai base and a love for fighting that saw him miss school at 10-years-old to fight in Thailand make him a star in the making for the UFC’s bosses.
To keep his upward momentum going though, Riley needs a big win over Michael Aswell Jr. (11-3-0), who is no scrub and won a Fury belt before his time in the UFC.
Should Riley get the win his potential deserves, watch out for his skills on the mic post-fight.
Reason it could steal the show: Luke Riley is another Liverpool export itching to go global but, like Pimblett before him, needs a moment which catches mainstream attention to do so.
Main event – Movsar Evloev vs. Lerone Murphy
A featherweight No.1 contender shootout will be the main event in London and it has implications that stretch far beyond the confines of The O2.
Lerone Murphy’s (17-0-1) run to a featherweight title shot faces its final hurdle in the form of Movsar Evloev (19-0-0).
Brit Murphy will have his home crowd behind him with his last act in the UFC Octagon being a knockout of the year against Aaron Pico at UFC 319, where a stunning spinning elbow put an end to the fight. It was the latest of a nine-fight winning run in the UFC and and a 10th on Saturday night would all but secure a fight with Alexander Volkanovski for the title next.
Russian wrestler Evloev is no easy opponent though and will look to counter Murphy’s danger on the feet with his own aggressive ground game coming from his roots in Greco-Roman wrestling.
The 32-year-old beat former champion Aljamain Sterling last time out but a number of cancelled bouts (his last fight was in December 2024) as well as what many see as a non-fan friendly fighting style that has seen him yet to register a finish in the UFC, mean Evloev has not yet got a title shot that his ranking may have merited earlier.
Someone’s 0 has got to go. This one is big.
Reason it could steal the show: It’s the main event! Why aren’t you watching? It’s also a chance for Murphy to fend off a wrestler and hint that he’s able to take Volkanovski’s championship.
