Dana White promises the UFC will bring a 'badass' card to Britain this summer.
The UFC was rumoured to be planning a Fight Night event in Manchester for July, but the big boss recently revealed it has been upgraded to a pay-per-view show.
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“I’ve got great fights lined up for the UK fans, and I’m excited to get back there,” White told TNT Sport.
“Literally in days [we’ll make an announcement], we’re right there working on this stuff. We’ve got some badass plans for England: numbered card, pay-per-view, a great one.”
Exactly who is fighting or where it’ll take place remains a mystery, so talkSPORT.com has put together a dream card that would sell out any venue in Britain.
Darren Till vs Paul Craig
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It’s time for Till to return to the UFC. ‘The Gorilla’ hasn’t fought since leaving the company last year but on his day he’s a world-class MMA fighter.
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Although a boxing bout may be on the horizon, he’s a martial artist at heart and someone who would add massive excitement to an already eagerly anticipated UFC card.
Paul Craig is the perfect opponent for Till’s UFC return. Not only does he have the submission skills to win, but the Scotsman would also make up one-half of an all-UK derby fight.
Fans would be divided on this one. It would be the perfect bout to kick off White’s ‘badass’ night of fights, which is expected to take place at Manchester’s new 23,500-capacity Co-op Live Arena.
Molly McCann vs Mackenzie Dern
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McCann looked better than ever in her strawweight debut earlier this year.
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‘Meatball’ picked up her first submission win after suffering back-to-back defeats against BJJ specialists – now it’s time to test her ground game against the very best.
Dern, who is currently ranked #8 at 115lbs, is arguably the greatest female submission artist in UFC history, but she is vulnerable against big hitters like McCann.
It’s the perfect striker vs grappler matchup and the quickest route McCann has to title contention as at 33 years old the clock is ticking on her world championship dream.
Paddy Pimblett vs Dan Hooker
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Pimblett must step up his competition level against a top 15 fighter in 2024.
Five wins from five fights against UFC lightweights hasn’t been enough to convince some that ‘The Baddy’ is the real deal, but he could turn doubters into believers this year.
Hooker has never passed up a fight and is absolutely wild enough to put his #9 ranking on the line for the chance to silence the divisive Liverpudlian.
The sky is the limit if Pimblett wins this one, although that is much easier said than done against a man who has been fighting and beating the best for years.
Tom Aspinall vs Curtis Blaydes
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With Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic tied up fighting each other, there aren’t a lot of big-name opponents for Aspinall to defend his interim heavyweight belt against.
Blaydes appears to be next in line behind Aspinall, so why not have the best of the rest fight it out to decide who will get the next crack at the undisputed belt?
As if the stakes weren’t high enough in this fight, ‘Razor’ already holds a win over Aspinall, who famously suffered a knee injury 15 seconds into their clash UFC London in July 2022.
The Englishman will get to make a bunch of money, defend his interim title, avenge a loss, and solidify his number-one contender status all at once. It’s the perfect fight!
Leon Edwards vs Ian Garry
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Edwards accepted three opponents for UFC 300 but missed out on the century-celebrating card – now he should be rewarded with the biggest fight available.
‘Rocky’ has been linked to an uninspiring title defence against Belal Muhammad, but if White really wants to put on an epic show in the UK he’ll let Garry skip the queue.
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The 14-0 Irishman has impressively worked his way through several top contenders to earn the #7 ranking at welterweight and is probably just one more big win away from being next in line for a title shot.
Edwards infamously kicked Garry out of his gym last year, and now there's a score that needs to be settled. A mega event in the UK is the perfect setting.