Photo by Stephen Maturen/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC
Big changes are being made to the card formerly known as UFC London. We may not know where it will be held or who will fight, but we know which fights are off.
It’s official: UFC London is no more. But in its place, the UFC has vowed to hold an event on March 21st somewhere on US soil.
Where? That’s currently unclear. With which fighters? Also not obvious. Travel bans have sprung up around the world as governments attempt to get a handle on the spread of the novel Coronavirus which is quickly starting to overwhelm hospital capacities in parts of Europe and the United States. Many UFC London fighters from America were already in the UK for their fights. And many UK and European fighters lack the visas to travel to the United States.
”Obviously things are changing by the hour,” UFC president Dana White told ESPN late Saturday night. “This morning they announced new travel restrictions for the UK so the fights can’t continue in London. But the fights will go on. We’re working on finding a new venue, likely in the United States, and I have my matchmakers literally working right now to put on the undercard. So the bottom line is that fight is happening, and that main event will go on.”
Adding on to what White said regarding the undercard of UFC TBD, Ariel Helwani shared an email from the promotion showing they’re open to signing new fighting talent in the US to restack their upcoming cards.
This is an email they are sending out to managers and reps about this new card next week. As you can see, they are even open to signing fighters who currently aren’t on the roster to fill it up, as well. pic.twitter.com/qYcYCDvdyo
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) March 15, 2020
It all makes for a event that will end up massively different than what it looked like a mere two days ago. Here’s how things look as it stands.
Still on (or at least still no word of cancellation yet):
Tyron Woodley vs. TBA
Kevin Holland vs. TBA
Darren Stewart vs. Marvin Vettori
Paul Craig vs. Ryan Spann
Tom Aspinall vs. Jake Collier
Cancelled:
Tyron Woodley vs. Leon Edwards
Danny Roberts vs. Nicolas Dalby
Jack Marshman vs. Kevin Holland
Add Kevin Holland vs. Jack Marshman to the list of canceled bouts from the ever-changing #UFCLondon card, per sources. @MMAjunkie pic.twitter.com/E99O6Tywma
— Nolan King (@mma_kings) March 15, 2020
Jack Shore vs. Geraldo de Freitas
Wales’ Jack Shore says he’s “gutted” with the decision UFC Fight Night 171 in London is called off
https://t.co/8ffKhmp3E9 pic.twitter.com/3DjtWn6NHw
— BBC Sport Wales (@BBCSportWales) March 15, 2020
Marc Diakiese vs. Jai Herbert
Gabriel Benítez vs. Lerone Murphy
Can you believe that’s the first camp at pro level that I havent been carrying a injury. Fitness level 100. Mindset 100. Weights perfect. Devastated but life goes on. #ufclondon
— Lerone Murphy (@LeroneMurphy) March 15, 2020
Molly McCann vs. Ashlee Evans-Smith
Ashlee Evans-Smith on Instagram: “I’ve been in London for two days, actually only 24 hours on the ground. Anyway, fight’s off, postponed, all I really know is that I’ve got to get back to California, yesterday basically.”
— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) March 15, 2020
Mike Grundy vs. Makwan Amirkhani
John Phillips vs. Dusko Todorovic
Gutted for @MakwanAmirkhani and @JohnPhillipsmma now that #UFCLondon is off. I really hope that @ufc can compensate them some % of their purse. They had invested heavily in their training camps moving to Dublin etc
— Coach Kavanagh (@John_Kavanagh) March 15, 2020
Bartosz Fabinski vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov
Shavkat Rakhmonov found out about it in airport during check in to his flight to London. He doesn’t have P1 USA visa so his fight with Fabinski is off https://t.co/wkAkcnBQuP
— Sayat ??? (@sayatmma) March 15, 2020
And the big question: are the fighters who are no longer competing getting paid? At this point there’s no sign that they are. Straight Blast Gym head coach John Kavanagh went so far as to prod the UFC on payment in his tweet regarding teammates Amirkhani and Phillips. I know they’re busy trying to pull off an event in the most hostile of conditions, but the sacrifices many of these fighters have already made trying to keep this event going are pretty huge.
If they don’t get at least their show money, it’d be a pretty big slap in the face to the idea that the fights are continuing ‘for the fighters.’
More updates to the former UFC London card on MMA Mania as they roll in.