UFC 38: Fight in the Hall (2002)

On July 13, 2002, the UFC first set foot in Europe. This happened during UFC 38: Hall Fight. The event takes place at Royal Albert Hall, which is generally used for concerts. The main event of the night was dominated by a title battle between American Matt Hughes and Canadian Carlos Newton. However, the crowd was pulled in by local heroes Mark Weir and Ian Freeman. Where England had disappointed earlier in the night, it was these two men who restored the honor of the home crowd.

Mark Weir wowed the crowd with one of the fastest knockouts in UFC history. Within ten seconds he was dealing with Eugene Jackson. This got the audience warmed up for the co-main battle between Ian Freeman and up and coming talent Frank Mir. Mir enters the fight as the favorite and is known for his immense qualities on the court. Even so, Freeman was able to fend off ground attacks and was able to dominate the youngster. At the end of the first round, the American was beaten so badly that he could barely stand on his feet when the referee wanted to change his piece. That was reason enough for referee McCarthy to stop the fight.

With this, England has its first MMA icon. In retrospect, Freeman and Weir are known as the founders of contemporary British MMA. Without their decisive victory and the euphoria of the crowd indoors, it’s questionable whether UFC 286 will take place at the O2 Arena.

UFC 70 (2007)

The next events in England are certainly not to be missed in this overview. Midday UFC 70: Nations Collide new TV star Michael Bisping performing in his own Manchester. Bisping just landed a UFC contract through a TV show Ultimate Warrior for win. Bisping lucky. In his third fight for the UFC, the organization has dunked him in warm water. This hot spring is called ManchesterArena. It was the crowd that pulled Bisping through the deep valley, as in the second half the Englishmen headed for defeat.

Sinosic’s opponent almost had Bisping in Kimura submission and then took the back. Bisping worked his way free and ground-and-pounded in the frenzied crowd that gave him the win. Additionally, icons like Lyoto Machida, Andrei Arlovski, and Fabrico Werdum could be admired at the event, which shows that British prestige has grown for the UFC. In the main event, Gabriel Gonzaga shocked everything and everyone by beating Mirko Cro Cop. This is while everyone hoped Cro Cop would achieve this end result.

UFC 75 (2007)

That same year, the UFC returned to England twice. First in Belfast, then it’s London’s turn UFC 75: Champion vs. Champion. The event took place at the O2 Arena, which hosted UFC 286 on Saturday. This was an opportunity Michael Bisping couldn’t pass up and earn his place back at an event in England. This time Matt Hamill became his opponent. An old acquaintance for Bisping, since Hamill was in the same season of The Ultimate Fighter. They would even meet at the event, but Hamill had to drop out due to injury.

The American is known as one of the favorites to win the show. That’s why the eventual winner, Michael Bisping, wanted to make his point. This he did not in the most desirable way. Bisping won in one of the most controversial split decisions in UFC history. After that, Bisping saw an opportunity to assert that he was the only true TUF winner. As well as crowd favorite Bisping, Cro Cop is also back in England. He faced Cheick Congo, who also played in UFC 70. This time too, the Croatian fell short, so he will look back on his UK performances with an ache in his heart. At the main party, Quinton reckonedrampageJackson went with Dan Henderson. Thus, another successful evening was completed in England.

UFC 204 (2016)

For the next event we are taking quite a jump. Michael Bisping is now a champion by defeating Luke Rockhold at UFC 199. He was allowed to defend his title for the first time in his beloved Manchester against Dan Henderson. A rematch that takes place seven years after the first fight between the two. At that point, Bisping lost, risking even more for the Briton.

In the end it became a titanic battle which was won by the “home team”. The jury unanimously judged Bisping the winner, after which the celebrations could begin. This didn’t last long as the event didn’t start until late at night. This is to be able to sell events better in America. Bisping admitted that he was worried about the atmosphere that would occur there, but of course England did not disappoint. In addition, the event has a Dutch touch. Our own Stefan Struve won against Daniel Omielańczuk the same night and Gegard Mousasi impressed by beating Vitor Belfort.

UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Aspinall (2022)

Last year, UFC returned to London for the first time since 2019. What’s the biggest difference from the events it used to host in the UK is that it was jam-packed with British fighters. Something that has local fans more excited than ever.

Good news for Eurosport, as this is also the first event to be covered live on location. It certainly doesn’t disappoint. Molly McCann, Paddy Pimblett, Arnold Allen and Tom Aspinall all won. They got wings from the crowd. This is best demonstrated by Paddy “the Baddy” and Molly’s “Meatball” strikes.

Honorable call

Finally, Darren Till’s strike was allowed over UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Until absolutely not to be missed in Liverpool. Nobody from Echo Arena managed to keep quiet then Sweet Caroline blaring through the speakers. Till’s trip to the Octagon perfectly demonstrates what to expect along the way UFC 286: Edward vs. usman 3. A frenzied mass of Britons eager to shout their compatriots to victory.

You can watch UFC 286 live on Eurosport 1 and discovery+ on Saturday night. The preview show starts at 21:00 from O2 Arena in London. The Main Card will start at 10:00pm.