UFC Exec: Promotion Plans to Hold Minimum of Two U.K. Events Per Year

London has been a popular destination for the Ultimate Fighting Championship in recent months.

The latest visit occurred this past Saturday, as UFC Fight Night 224 took place at the O2 Arena and saw Tom Aspinall make a triumphant return with a first-round technical knockout of Marcin Tybura in the evening’s main event. According to UFC senior vice president Dave Shaw, the event was an all-around success — and maybe a little bit less hectic than the previous visit.

“The trip was great. It feels like home. We’ve been here four times in the last 18 months,” Shaw said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “For us, coming off of [the UFC 286] pay-per-view in March, where it was a very intense week – big week, lots going on, big card, Dana [White] and the whole crew, everyone here – it felt a little bit more manageable. But it felt like home. We’ve been in The O2 so many times now. I think for our crews, for the teams, it was fairly straightforward. Really nice to be in the city. The city also felt a little quieter.”

UFC Fight Night 224 featured a 15-bout lineup populated with a diverse selection of athletes. That’s by design for this type of event.

“I think we had 12 fighters from U.K. and Ireland. We had 12 different nationalities represented,” Shaw said. “Most of the cards that we do in London are a real celebration of European MMA with your requisite Brazilians and Americans fighting, as well.”

While the UFC has been traveling to London exclusively lately, that will likely change going forward as the promotion looks to maintain a consistent schedule in the U.K.

“I think we’re going to continue with two a year in the U.K. at a minimum. I think what we’re probably going to do in 2024 is move outside of London for one of the fights,” Shaw said. “I don’t think we’re going to have two fights per year in London. But you never know what Dana wants to do, depending on who’s holding the belt and where people are ranked. But I wouldn’t be surprised if we … it’s been a while since we’ve been in Glasgow, it’s been a while since we’ve been in Manchester, we want to get back to Dublin. There’s a lot of places we want to go. We expect that to take on a slightly different complexion next year.”