As the UFC returns to the dome of the O2 Arena, some might accuse the mixed martial arts promotion of being in a bit of a bubble right now. Certainly, fan resentment has been bubbling up for some time now, but the UFC can often appear ignorant to this sentiment – or stubborn enough to resist trying to quell it.
It is against this backdrop of growing criticism that the MMA juggernaut hosts its latest edition of UFC London. From recent events to upcoming ones, including an overhyped card at the White House on 14 June, the quality of the UFC’s output has been raising eyebrows and lowering expectations. With this in mind, a strange card – on paper – will play out on Saturday.
UFC London’s main event pits Lerone Murphy against Movsar Evloev, in one of the only bouts on the card that feels above scrutiny.
Manchester’s Murphy is unbeaten, and so is his Russian opponent. They are two of the best featherweights in the world, and whether Murphy delivers the kind of stunning knockout he did in August, Evloev produces another grappling clinic, or we see any result in between, one thing feels certain: immense technical quality will be on display.
The winner should also be next for champion Alexander Volkanovski, arguably the greatest 145lb fighter in UFC history, but this brings us to one of the first potential issues with Saturday’s event. If the UFC continues to deny the “Miracle” or Evloev a title shot after Saturday, it will do nothing to suppress the surging sentiment that the promotion is not making the fights that fans want to see, or that the athletes have earned.
Fellow contender Jean Silva has already hinted that a title fight may await in his near future, and with the UFC’s major main events already scheduled up until July, the winner of the UFC London headliner could be waiting until the end of the year to challenge for the belt – if they’re permitted to at all.
Fans have long challenged the notion that the UFC is a true meritocracy, and even if it isn’t, that’s not actually always a bad thing; the UFC, ultimately, must sell fights, and sometimes the most sellable are not the most sensible from a rankings perspective. Still, certain contenders can only be denied for so long. Murphy has admitted he’s had no assurances that a title fight is next, which is dispiriting for him and fans.
Yet the UFC may well grant the 34-year-old or Evloev, 32, the next title shot. It feels naive to give the company the benefit of the doubt right now, but here’s hoping the UFC defies its doubters and makes the right fight.
Regardless, Murphy or Evloev’s next step is only one element of what makes UFC London sneakily important.
Again, criticism of the UFC’s matchmaking doesn’t just pertain to the moves it could make later in the year; it relates to what fans are getting right now. On that note, the UFC London card is a strange one. It is not necessarily a bad one, but it would look better and more sensical if the bout order were restructured.
The co-main event sees Liverpool’s Luke Riley paired with US featherweight Michael Aswell Jr, as Riley competes in the UFC for just the second time. The UFC is clearly trying to capitalise on Riley’s relationship with teammate Paddy Pimblett, one of the promotion’s biggest stars, who will walk out his fellow Scouser on Saturday. It will be a fan-friendly moment that should intensify the atmosphere in the O2, but it might be better placed at the start of the main card.
Then there is Michael “Venom” Page’s showdown with Sam Patterson, an all-British bout between former training partners.
Page has made clear his frustration with the match-up, not only due to his past ties to Patterson but also the latter’s lack of a ranking, while Page himself has climbed high at welterweight and middleweight. Yes, this fight gives “MVP” a desired return to welterweight after successful side missions at 185lb, but as he said himself: with all due respect to the in-form Patterson (who could spring an upset on Saturday), Page deserved a clash with a fellow contender.
Furthermore, UFC stalwart Nathaniel Wood, one of the only Londoners on the card, has been confined to the prelims in a fight with an unranked foe. Saturday’s event marked the perfect opportunity for a main-card spot against a known name, but it feels fair to say Wood was snubbed.
British-Portuguese heavyweight Mario Pinto is similarly unfortunate to be on the prelims, after achieving viral moments in his first two UFC outings, while American Austen Lane graces the main card against Poland’s Iwo Baraniewski. This comes a year after Pinto knocked out Lane, no less, and that is to say nothing of the fact that Lane has just one win in his last six bouts. Pinto, meanwhile, is 2-0 in the UFC and 11-0 overall.
So, UFC London is a curious event at a time when the UFC needs captivating ones. That’s not to say the action won’t be exactly that on Saturday, but it must be captivating for the UFC to regain some momentum. Then, the promotion must capitalise with effective matchmaking, the kind that has been lacking recently.
