The UFC will finally return to London after a two-and-a-half year drought, booking a show that will take place on February 16 at Wembley Arena.
MMA Fighting confirmed the event, which will be UFC on FUEL 7, with sources close to the promotion. It was first reported by the UK’s Daily Mirror newspaper, though the report was eventually taken down from their website.
The UFC has not visited London since October 2010, when Michael Bisping and Yoshihiro Akiyama headlined UFC 120, with the Brit winning in his homeland by unanimous decision. That event, which took place at the 02 Arena, drew 17,133 fans and a gate of over $2.5 million.
Since then, the UFC has returned to the UK on two other occasions, visiting Birmingham for UFC 138 in November 2011 and Nottingham for UFC on FUEL: Struve vs. Miocic in September 2012.
Wembley Arena holds about 12,500 fans, according to the arena’s website, though floor seating could potentially increase that number. It will be the UFC’s first visit to the venue.
No matches have yet to be agreed upon for the show, but the event is likely to be officially announced shortly.