UFC President Dana White has named the one thing missing from the promotion’s return to the UK this past weekend.
For the first time since 2019, MMA’s premier promotion crossed the Atlantic to put on a stellar card. In England’s capital, the renowned O2 Arena played host to a card stacked with British talent and well-known international names.
From Tom Aspinall’s memorable main event triumph over veteran contender Alexander Volkov to Paddy Pimblett’s sophomore outing to “Meatball” Molly McCann’s knockout of the year contender, UFC London certainly delivered, and it did so in droves.
Nevertheless, while the event was unbelievably successful for the UFC, both in terms of fights and performances, and gate and revenue, Dana White believes there’s one thing that could have made it even better.
Speaking in a post-event interview with BT Sport’s Caroline Pearce, the UFC president suggested a welterweight title shot for hometown favorite Leon Edwards was the only thing missing from Saturday’s memorable card.
“The only thing that kills me tonight is that it would have been awesome for the main event to be Leon and (Kamaru) Usman,” said White. “That would have been incredible here. That was the only thing tonight that’s missing, if tonight is missing anything.” (h/t Sportskeeda)
White Reiterated Edwards’ #1 Contender Status
After a 10-fight unbeaten run, Edwards has firmly secured a rematch with Usman and a shot at 170-pound gold in the eyes of many. While White confirmed as much earlier this year, he reiterated it during UFC London fight week while in the #3-ranked welterweight’s home country.
During BT Sport’s Fight Week Live, White and Edwards were in attendance to answer questions from analysts and fans. When the topic of the Englishman’s potential championship opportunity came up, the UFC kingpin once again confirmed Edwards’ place as the number one contender.
“He absolutely deserves the next title shot, and yes, I’m wishing for nothing but good luck for Edwards this year, he’s had a rough run,” said White. “Usman, we’re waiting for his hand to get cleared. His hand gets cleared and he’s got the fight.”
With July’s UFC 276 event reportedly the target for Usman vs. Edwards 2, it appears UK fans won’t have to wait long for their man to finally fight for gold. If “Rocky” succeeds, he’ll join Michael Bisping as the second member of the UK’s UFC champions’ club.
How do you think the expected fight between Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman will play out?
