Tag: UFC London

Pimblett Reveals Why He’s Glad Gordon Fight Didn’t Come To Fruition

UFC lightweight prospect Paddy Pimblett has explained why he’s partly pleased that a fight with previously-rumored opponent Jared Gordon didn’t come to fruition. 2021 was certainly a breakout year for Pimblett on the global MMA stage. The former Cage Warriors champion made his long-awaited promotional debut on a European-heavy UFC Vegas 36 card last September. […]

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UFC lightweight prospect Paddy Pimblett has explained why he’s partly pleased that a fight with previously-rumored opponent Jared Gordon didn’t come to fruition.

2021 was certainly a breakout year for Pimblett on the global MMA stage. The former Cage Warriors champion made his long-awaited promotional debut on a European-heavy UFC Vegas 36 card last September. His first task was to dispatch Luigi Vendramini.

After the opening exchanges, it looked like that was going to be a bigger challenge than first expected. After being rocked by some clean shots and taken down, the early momentum was with the Brazilian. That didn’t last. Making good on his pre-fight prediction, the Liverpudlian flipped the script towards the end of the first round and knocked Vendramini out.

Now, after a longer-than-desired layoff, Pimblett is preparing for his sophomore Octagon outing. It’ll come in front of a home crowd at UFC London on March 19. In his way of a continued rise up the 155-pound ladder will be Rodrigo “Kazula” Vargas.

Pimblett Doesn’t Want To Face UFC Vets Yet

Prior to the official fight announcement, Paddy Pimblett was expected to face a lightweight he’d interacted with in the past and had expressed interest in facing, Jared Gordon. All signs pointed towards the matchup being made and UFC President Dana White confirmed as much.

But after both parties disputed White’s remarks and denied that the fight had been offered to them, news broke that Pimblett’s return to action would come against 1-2 UFC fighter Vargas.

While a clash with Gordon would have represented a big step-up in competition, as well as the chance to avenge his teammate Chris Fishgold’s 2020 defeat to “Flash,” Pimblett is actually glad he’s been booked against another relative newcomer instead.

During a recent appearance on the UFC Unfiltered podcast, “The Baddy” suggested he’d rather wait to fight UFC veterans like Gordon until he secures a more lucrative contract with the promotion.

“He (Gordon) never got floated at my team to be honest. No fighter actually got put forward until Rodrigo Vargas. The first opponent I got given was Rodrigo Vargas. But I would have happily fought Jared Gordon, but at the same time, I looked at it and he’s had nine UFC fights. How much money do you think he’s getting? He’s getting a lot more than me, lad. So, thinking about it that way, I’m glad I never ended up fighting Jared Gordon, ’cause I want a better and bigger contract before I fight people like that.”

Having previously asserted he won’t be fighting any top-10 lightweight without a six-figure contract, it’s clear Pimblett will be attempting to bring a rising pay bracket with him as he jumps up the UFC ranks.

While he may be facing an arguably lesser level of competition than Gordon on March 19, Pimblett appears to harbor hope of facing “Flash” down the line, a sentiment shared by Gordon on social media.

For now, “The Baddy” will hope to extend his winning start in the promotion with a triumph against Vargas and begin what he hopes to be a 3-0 year in MMA’s premier organization. Perhaps #2 or #3 can come against Gordon if Pimblett can get past “Kazula.”

Would you like to see Paddy Pimblett and Jared Gordon share the Octagon down the line?

Continue Reading Pimblett Reveals Why He’s Glad Gordon Fight Didn’t Come To Fruition at MMA News.

Paul Craig vs. Nikita Krylov Added To UFC London On March 19

A clash of ranked light heavyweight contenders has been booked for the UFC’s return to England’s capital. The promotion has announced that a fight between the #9-ranked Nikita Krylov (26-8) and the #11-ranked Paul Craig (15-4-1) has been added to a stacked UFC London card, set to go down inside the city’s O2 Arena on […]

Continue Reading Paul Craig vs. Nikita Krylov Added To UFC London On March 19 at MMA News.

A clash of ranked light heavyweight contenders has been booked for the UFC’s return to England’s capital.

The promotion has announced that a fight between the #9-ranked Nikita Krylov (26-8) and the #11-ranked Paul Craig (15-4-1) has been added to a stacked UFC London card, set to go down inside the city’s O2 Arena on March 19.

Returning to fight in the UK for the first time since his 2018 triangle choke submission victory over Magomed Ankalaev, Scotland’s Craig will be hoping to continue his rise towards contention by extending his win streak to four at UFC London.

Since a knockout loss to powerhouse Alonzo Menifield in 2019, “Bearjew” has found the form of his life. After returning to the win column against Vinicius Moreira, Craig fought to a split draw against Maurício Rua, before securing a wins against Gadzhimurad Antigulov, “Shogun,” and, most recently, Jamahal Hill.

Craig jumped towards the top 10 last time out by brutally dislocating the elbow of the previously-unbeaten Hill at UFC 263 in June. After failed matchups with Alexander Gustafsson in September and Krylov in December prevented a second appearance in 2021, the Scot will look to continue his winning ways against the latter in their re-arranged bout in less than two months’ time.

Joining the likes of Alexander Volkov, Dan Hooker, Timur Valiev, and Makwan Amirkhani as one of the international athletes hoping to spoil a homecoming at UFC London will be Ukraine’s Krylov. “The Minor” has exchanged wins and losses in his last five appearances.

While he fell to defeats against former champion Jan Blachowicz, reigning light heavyweight king Glover Teixeira, and Ankalaev, the 29-year-old had his hand raised versus Ovince Saint Preux and Johnny Walker.

While Krylov will be looking to rebound from his defeat to Ankalaev last February, Craig will need to find success at UFC London if he hopes to uphold his desire of a late push up the rankings and potential retirement by the end of the year.

Listed below are the fights currently expected to go down on March 19 in London, England:

Alexander Volkov vs. Tom Aspinall (heavyweight main event)

Dan Hooker vs. Arnold Allen (featherweight)

Paul Craig vs. Nikita Krylov (light heavyweight)

Shamil Abdurakhimov vs. Sergei Pavlovich (heavyweight)

Jack Shore vs. Timur Valiev (bantamweight)

Paddy Pimblett vs. Kazula Vargas (lightweight)

Nathanial Wood vs. Liudvik Sholinian (bantamweight)

Makwan Amirkhani vs. Mike Grundy (featherweight)

Molly McCann vs. Luana Carolina (women’s flyweight)

Cody Durden vs. Muhammad Mokaev (flyweight)

Jake Hadley vs. Allan Nascimento (flyweight)

Cory McKenna vs. Elise Reed (women’s strawweight)

Who do you think will have their hand raised at UFC London, Paul Craig or Nikita Krylov?

Continue Reading Paul Craig vs. Nikita Krylov Added To UFC London On March 19 at MMA News.

Arnold Allen Fight Coincides With Dan Hooker’s Reason For FW Move

UFC fan favorite Dan Hooker is ready to make a splash when he returns to featherweight, starting with an impressive performance against England’s Arnold Allen. Despite his recent run of form consisting of losses to some of the best lightweights in the world, Dustin Poirier, Michael Chandler, and Islam Makhachev, Hooker feels that to remain […]

Continue Reading Arnold Allen Fight Coincides With Dan Hooker’s Reason For FW Move at MMA News.

UFC fan favorite Dan Hooker is ready to make a splash when he returns to featherweight, starting with an impressive performance against England’s Arnold Allen.

Despite his recent run of form consisting of losses to some of the best lightweights in the world, Dustin Poirier, Michael Chandler, and Islam Makhachev, Hooker feels that to remain in contention for UFC gold, he has to make a change.

Believing he doesn’t have a place among the 155-pound elite until the landscape of the division changes, “The Hangman” made the decision to move back to 145 pounds.

While he initially targeted dream fights with “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung and Brian Ortega, Hooker has had to settle for a contender outside the top five. Nevertheless, a victory over Allen will certainly insert the New Zealander right into the title picture at featherweight.

The pair are set to throw down on March 19, a date that will signal the promotion’s return to London, England. While “Almighty” Allen targets a triumph in front of his home crowd, Hooker will be looking to spoil the party for the Ipswich native.

Hooker Hopes To Steal Allen’s Momentum

Despite going 1-3 in his last four Octagon outings, Hooker isn’t returning to featherweight with the aim of taking easier matchups and rising the ranks slowly. He wants to get straight into the mix at 145 pounds and book dates with the top names in the division.

With Allen, that is exactly what he’s getting. The Englishman is unbeaten in the UFC. Across his unblemished 8-0 promotional record, the 28-year-old has established himself as one of the fastest-rising contenders thanks to victories over Makwan Amirkhani, Nik Lentz, and Sodiq Yusuff.

Discussing how the matchup came together in an interview with The AllStar, Hooker explained why Allen is the kind of opponent he usually accepts, while others tend to turn down.

“He is really good, but not like, a big name. I can see why I got that fight because I generally get the fights that other people don’t wanna take,” said Hooker. “That’s generally how I wind up with opponents… I feel like this is the situation with Arnold Allen, where he’s a super-talented fighter, very technical, well-rounded, and not the biggest name. Those are the difficult fights.”

While others have perhaps shied away from the challenge of defeating Allen, Hooker is excited by the prospect of becoming the first blemish on the #7-ranked contender’s résumé.

“For sure, it excites me to get out there and get the opportunity to stop that run, stop a run like that, undefeated in the UFC, 8-0. That’s a huge accomplishment in itself, to reach that sort of achievement, so the opportunity to get out there and stop it, and to take all of that momentum that he’s carrying off those eight wins and take it for myself, that’s what excites me about this fight.”

While he isn’t taking the task of handing Allen his first loss in MMA’s premier promotion lightly, Hooker is anticipating a place right in the mix among the featherweight elite if he is successful on March 19.

“Without a doubt, he’s #7 and he’s got all that hype,” added Hooker. “I’m not looking past Arnold or anything like that, but yeah, that (victory over Allen) gets you one of those big-name guys in the division, and that’s really like, my main motivation for going down to featherweight and for making the cut, to put myself straight back in the mix.”

Having previously gone 3-3 during his initial stint at featherweight in the UFC, Hooker will be after more consistency when he makes his return to the lighter weight class.

Who do you think will have their hand raised at UFC London, Dan Hooker or Arnold Allen?

Continue Reading Arnold Allen Fight Coincides With Dan Hooker’s Reason For FW Move at MMA News.

Dan Hooker vs. Arnold Allen Set For UFC London On March 19

Dan Hooker will make his return to featherweight when he takes on 145-pound contender Arnold Allen at UFC London on March 19.

The event, expected to take place at the O2 Arena, will mark the UFC’s first trip to England’s capital since before the CO…

Arnold Allen, Dan Hooker

Dan Hooker will make his return to featherweight when he takes on 145-pound contender Arnold Allen at UFC London on March 19.

The event, expected to take place at the O2 Arena, will mark the UFC’s first trip to England’s capital since before the COVID-19 pandemic. The promotion confirmed the addition of Hooker vs. Allen to the card on Monday.

While the March 19 card will represent the UFC’s return to across the Atlantic, it will mark an even bigger homecoming for Hooker (22-11), who will be returning to featherweight for the first time since 2016.

After a 3-3 start in the UFC at 145 pounds, “The Hangman” made the move to lightweight. There, he initially went 7-1 and defeated the likes of Gilbert Burns, Jim Miller, Al Iaquinta, and Paul Felder. But since a main event victory over “The Irish Dragon,” Hooker has seen his form plummet.

In his last four outings, the New Zealander has gone 1-3, falling to defeats against Dustin Poirier, Michael Chandler, and Islam Makhachev. Despite those names representing three of the toughest tests in the weight class, Hooker acknowledged that returning to contention will be difficult in the current lightweight landscape.

After a successful trial weight cut to 145 pounds late last year, Hooker made it clear he was pursuing a return to featherweight. Now, with his desired matchups against “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung and Brian Ortega not coming to fruition, “The Hangman” will be welcomed back to the division by a surging Englishman.

At UFC London, Hooker will be looking to score one for the internationals when he faces Ipswich native “Almighty” Allen (17-1). The 28-year-old is widely considered the hottest prospect at 145 pounds and has found himself at #7 in the rankings after a perfect 8-0 start in the UFC.

Allen’s record on MMA’s biggest stage includes triumphs over Makwan Amirkhani, Gilbert Melendez, and Nik Lentz. Most recently, he established himself as the top rising contender in the division by getting past Sodiq Yusuff in April 2021.

Allen and Hooker will join a stacked UFC Fight Night card with a host of exciting names. The event will be headlined by an intriguing heavyweight contest between perennial contender Alexander Volkov and England’s best hope for a UFC heavyweight champion, Tom Aspinall.

Listed below are the fights currently expected to go down on March 19 in London, England:

Alexander Volkov vs. Tom Aspinall (heavyweight main event)

Dan Hooker vs. Arnold Allen (featherweight)

Shamil Abdurakhimov vs. Sergei Pavlovich (heavyweight)

Jack Shore vs. Timur Valiev (bantamweight)

Paddy Pimblett vs. Kazula Vargas (lightweight)

Nathanial Wood vs. Liudvik Sholinian (bantamweight)

Makwan Amirkhani vs. Mike Grundy (featherweight)

Molly McCann vs. Luana Carolina (women’s flyweight)

Cody Durden vs. Muhammad Mokaev (flyweight)

Jake Hadley vs. Allan Nascimento (flyweight)

Cory McKenna vs. Elise Reed (women’s strawweight)

Who do you think will have their hand raised at UFC London, Dan Hooker or Arnold Allen?

Continue Reading Dan Hooker vs. Arnold Allen Set For UFC London On March 19 at MMA News.

OFFICIAL | UFC London Set For March 19. At The O2 Arena

UFC LondonThe Octagon is officially set to land in London, England on March 19. for the first time in three years – with the UFC officially confirming they are booked to host a UFC London, Fight Night billed card at The O2 Arena.  Per a press release from the promotion, the event is scheduled to take […]

UFC London

The Octagon is officially set to land in London, England on March 19. for the first time in three years – with the UFC officially confirming they are booked to host a UFC London, Fight Night billed card at The O2 Arena. 

Per a press release from the promotion, the event is scheduled to take place on March 19. – from The O2 Arena in London, England, with tickets set to go on general sale on Friday February 4. at 10 am GMT, available on AXS and Ticketmaster.

The March 19. UFC London card will mark the promotion’s first outing in the capital in three years

“The wait is over! UFC has today announced its eagerly anticipated return to London for Saturday, MAR 19, at The O2, marking the promotion’s 12th live event in the English capital.”

“Fight Club and The O2 priority members can purchase tickets (for UFC London) from Wednesday, FEB 2 at 9 am and 10 am GMT, respectively. Whilst newsletter subscribers and those who register their interest can gain early access to tickets from Thursday, FEB 3 at 10 am GMT. Tickets will go on general sale at 10 am GMT on Friday, FEB 4, via AXS and Ticketmaster.”

The March event will mark the promotion’s first outing in the capital since March 2019 – where they fielded a 13 fight card, which culminated with a massive welterweight bout between former title challengers, Darren Till and Jorge Masvidal.

The organization were then expected to host another UFC Fight Night London event in March of the following year, with another welterweight bout between former undisputed champion, Tyron Woodley, and the #3 ranked contender, Leon Edwards booked to headline. However, in the days before the showcase, the entire card and event were cancelled amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Whilst an official headliner for the event has yet to be booked by the organization, the likes of homegrown talents such as, Tom Aspinall, Molly McCann, Jack Shore, Muhammad Mokaev, and Jake Hadley have already secured themselves fights on home soil.

Other expected features to land on the card include aforenoted past-headliner, Till, who has been linked with a bout against Uriah Hall, whilst fellow Liverpudlian, Paddy Pimblett has himself been tied to a bout with Jared Gordon.

Streaking featherweight contender, Arnold Allen has also been targeted to stand across division returner, Dan Hooker, after an extended period at lightweight for the Kiwi.

OFFICIAL | UFC London Set For March 19. At The O2 Arena

UFC LondonThe Octagon is officially set to land in London, England on March 19. for the first time in three years – with the UFC officially confirming they are booked to host a UFC London, Fight Night billed card at The O2 Arena.  Per a press release from the promotion, the event is scheduled to take […]

UFC London

The Octagon is officially set to land in London, England on March 19. for the first time in three years – with the UFC officially confirming they are booked to host a UFC London, Fight Night billed card at The O2 Arena. 

Per a press release from the promotion, the event is scheduled to take place on March 19. – from The O2 Arena in London, England, with tickets set to go on general sale on Friday February 4. at 10 am GMT, available on AXS and Ticketmaster.

The March 19. UFC London card will mark the promotion’s first outing in the capital in three years

“The wait is over! UFC has today announced its eagerly anticipated return to London for Saturday, MAR 19, at The O2, marking the promotion’s 12th live event in the English capital.”

“Fight Club and The O2 priority members can purchase tickets (for UFC London) from Wednesday, FEB 2 at 9 am and 10 am GMT, respectively. Whilst newsletter subscribers and those who register their interest can gain early access to tickets from Thursday, FEB 3 at 10 am GMT. Tickets will go on general sale at 10 am GMT on Friday, FEB 4, via AXS and Ticketmaster.”

The March event will mark the promotion’s first outing in the capital since March 2019 – where they fielded a 13 fight card, which culminated with a massive welterweight bout between former title challengers, Darren Till and Jorge Masvidal.

The organization were then expected to host another UFC Fight Night London event in March of the following year, with another welterweight bout between former undisputed champion, Tyron Woodley, and the #3 ranked contender, Leon Edwards booked to headline. However, in the days before the showcase, the entire card and event were cancelled amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Whilst an official headliner for the event has yet to be booked by the organization, the likes of homegrown talents such as, Tom Aspinall, Molly McCann, Jack Shore, Muhammad Mokaev, and Jake Hadley have already secured themselves fights on home soil.

Other expected features to land on the card include aforenoted past-headliner, Till, who has been linked with a bout against Uriah Hall, whilst fellow Liverpudlian, Paddy Pimblett has himself been tied to a bout with Jared Gordon.

Streaking featherweight contender, Arnold Allen has also been targeted to stand across division returner, Dan Hooker, after an extended period at lightweight for the Kiwi.