UFC is planning to stage an event in Cardiff next March, according to top fighter Muhammad Mokaev.
If he's right, the Principality Stadium looks set to host Wales' first-ever UFC event and the UK's first stadium show. Arena events have previously been staged in London, Manchester, Liverpool, Nottingham, Birmingham, Belfast and Glasgow.
UFC president Dana White has frequently cited weather concerns as being a limiting factor to staging a UK stadium show, but the 74,500-capacity Principality Stadium, of course, can be transformed into an indoor cauldron thanks to its retractable roof. Wembley Stadium has a partially retractable roof but it does not cover the playing surface, leaving any event hostage to the elements.
Flyweight mixed martial artist Mokaev, who is preparing to face Malcolm Gordon on the UFC 280 preliminary card this weekend in Abu Dhabi, told ESPN MMA: "I'm going to finish Malcolm Gordon, one more fight in March, they're planning to put UFC in Cardiff, right. This will be four fights in one year."
UFC welterweight Leon Edwards, in line for a proposed trilogy bout with former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman (who Edwards knocked out with less than 60 seconds remaining in the fifth round of their title fight in August), has also revealed his next fight could be in Cardiff.
Speaking to The MAC Life earlier this month, Edwards said: "It’s in Wembley, bro. I’m not going over (to America) now. I did my job. I went to over to his backyard and took it off him, so now he has to come to my backyard. It’s on my terms now. He has to come over here."
With the timeframe unconfirmed, Edwards expects his bout to be in the first quarter of 2023.
"They said early next year, March-ish," Edwards said. "Early next year over here in the UK — the stadium show. I think they’re coming to Wembley because it’s probably cold in March. It might be Cardiff."
UFC boss White confirmed back in March, when UFC returned to London for the first time in three years, that the UFC would return to the UK, revealing boxing promoter Eddie Hearn had told him to make it a stadium show.
White told talkSPORT: "Eddie Hearn looked at me tonight and said ‘you should do a stadium show after tonight’. I’m going to tell you a couple of reasons I don’t like stadium shows. First of all, most of them are outdoors and this is not a country you do s*** outdoors, OK? Let’s be honest. And you don’t get the same experience you get in a stadium that you do [in an arena], but the difference here is, you guys are used to it. You guys are used to watching things in stadiums."
In the same vein, White has also spoken of his wariness to use Wembley Stadium specifically. "I'm definitely scared to go outside in England. So, I'm joking about, I'm serious but joking about Wembley... It would be fun but scary at the same time. The weather isn't the greatest over there in England."
