UFC 286 to take place in London in March

The UFC has confirmed that it will return to the UK in March, as London’s O2 Arena plays host to a pay-per-view event.

UFC 286, scheduled for Saturday 18 March, will mark the first UFC pay-per-view card to take place in the UK for six years, and it follows two sold-out Fight Night events at the O2 Arena this year.

After Leon Edwards defeated Kamaru Usman with a knockout of the year contender in Utah in August to become Britain’s second ever UFC champion, the promotion’s president Dana White said he was looking to stage a rematch between the pair at a UK stadium in 2023.

And while no fights have yet been confirmed for UFC 286, the expectation is that a welterweight title fight between Edwards and Usman will headline the card.

Wigan heavyweight Tom Aspinall fought in the main event of both editions of UFC London in 2022, submitting veteran Alexander Volkov in March before suffering an unfortunate knee injury just 15 seconds into his July clash with Curtis Blaydes.

Aspinall is unlikely to have healed in time to fight at UFC 286, while Liverpudlian stars Paddy Pimblett and Darren Till are competing at UFC 282 in Las Vegas this Saturday, so may be fit for March’s card in London depending on how their bouts play out this weekend.

Pimblett secured submission wins on both UFC London cards this year, while Till was due to fight at the latter event but withdrew due to injury.

Tickets for UFC 286 will go on sale at 10am GMT on Friday 27 January, via AXS and Ticketmaster.