Great news for the UK Fight fans as Dana White has confirmed a ‘bada** PPV* this year in the United Kingdom.
In a recent interview on TNT Sports White spoke about UFC 300 and a UK PPV event at some point in 2024. Rumours speculated for some time on location whether it be the familiar surroundings of London or returning back to Manchester after years away. The location remains unknown but the event will be a numbered card.
With two British champions it seemed inevitable the card would be a PPV, however the rumour was a fight night. Welterweight champion Leon Edwards was offered a headline spot UFC 300 with three different opponents but nothing materialised so his next defence looks destined to be back on home soil. Tom Aspinall has been hunting for a fight with current heavyweight champion Jon Jones ever since winning the interim belt last November. Unfortunately a legacy fight is on the horizon for Jones rather than the unification of the division so Aspinall is looking elsewhere for a matchup.
Below we attempt to build a ‘bada**’ UK PPV 5 fight main card
Dana White to Have Tom Aspinall vs Curtis Blaydes 2
After an excellent victory at UFC 299 Curtis Blaydes has staked his claim at a rematch with Aspinall this year. The first fight ended in disastrous fashion and in a mere 15 seconds, a knee injury that kept the brit out of action for a full year. Returning form that injury Aspinall looks like a new beast and Blaydes has called for the rematch as he sees an opportunity to claim the interim belt and earn a shot at the full title.
Leon Edwards vs Belal Muhammed 2
Since snatching the belt from the jaws of defeat back in the summer of 2022 Edwards has looked exemplary in both defences. Most recently a dominant beatdown of Colby Covington at UFC 296. The clear contender now at welterweight is Belal Muhammed, a grappling heavy fighter who is quite unpopular with fans due to his fight style. On many occasions he has called for the Edwards rematch as the first fight ended due to an eye poke. Shavkat Rakhmonov is a violent finisher barrelling towards the belt at welterweight however it looks like a number one contender fight against Jack Della Maddelena will be next for the Kazakh.
Muhammed Mokaev vs Brandon Royval
Young prospect Muhammed Mokaev was fuming about being overlooked for the UFC 301 main event against Alexandre Pantoja. However, he changed targets quickly and called for Brandon Royval this summer in a number one contender fight. Mokaev is surging through the flyweight rankings and faced Alex Perez at the beginning of March, a former contender that has faced the elite at the flyweight. Unfortunately for Mokaev it was an underwhelming performance and it cost him a shot at the belt in Rio. Royval had just beaten perennial contender Brandon Moreno in a close fight but the performance was not one that stood out. The fight is perfect for both men to put on a statement victory and earn their shot at gold.
Michael Page vs Gilbert Burns
Since his successful debut against Kevin Holland two possible opponents have been brought up, Stephen Thompson and Ian Machado Garry. Fans put together Michael Page and Thompson due to their almost identical karate style of fighting in what would promise to be a striking masterclass. However, Page has poured cold water on the subject as it may become a stand off fight and would not be an entertaining bout for fans. The Irishman dismissed the fight with Page as he is only looking up the rankings. Gilbert Burns is always in entertaining scraps and is a fan favourite and has now had back to back losses. Burns has a path to victory against Page which could persuade him to accepting the bout.
Paddy Pimblett vs Drew Dober
Paddy Pimblett is a sought after opponent for almost everyone in the lightweight division. The scouser has grown exponentially since joining the organisation in 2021 and everyone wants to crush the hype and noise. Last time out in December Pimblett beat Tony Ferguson a legend in MMA which annoyed fans even more. Renato Moicano was the original call out as he sits in the top 15 and has been very vocal about fighting Pimblett. Despite this huge lightweight Jalin Turner is next for the Brazilian at UFC 300. Drew Dober is a fan favourite and holds the record for the most knockouts at lightweight in UFC History. He provides the right next step for Pimbett as he aims to break into the rankings. It is the perfect bout to kick off the possible UK PPV.
Who would you like to see Dana White add to the UK numbered event?
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
