The UFC was scheduled to make its 12th trip to London on Saturday before the event was canceled due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Rising welterweight star and England’s own Leon Edwards was set to face former UFC 170-pound champion Tyron Woodley in the UFC on ESPN+ 29 main event, looking to emerge as a title contender.
It would have been the latest in a series of memorable U.K. events dating back to UFC 38, which headlined by a matchup between then UFC welterweight champ Matt Hughes, and Carlos Newton, which took place in London on July 13, 2002, at the Royal Albert Hall.
And throughout the years, plenty of English fighters got the opportunity to headline cards at home, putting on memorable performances in front of a sold out O2 Arena.
With the cancellation of the event, we take a look at some of the best moments in the British capital. From big knockouts, to crowd silencers, and historical moments, here are the top five UFC London moments.
5. Home run: Dan Hardy knocks out Rory Markham
One of the greatest fighters to ever come out of the U.K. was Nottingham’s Dan Hardy. Sporting his patented red mohawk, Hardy entered the UFC with quite a bit of experience under his belt.
In his second UFC fight, Hardy was matched up with hard-hitting welterweight, Rory Markham, who has never gone the distance in his career. After going to a split decision in his promotional debut, Hardy was set on showing off his power, predicting a knockout over Markham.
And he didn’t disappoint.
With Markham pressing forward, Hardy was looking to time the counter and it didn’t take long for him to connect, as just over a minute into the fight, Hardy tagged Markham with a counter left that sat him into the canvas. Hardy wasn’t happy with Markham’s comments that he didn’t have knockout power, and he made sure to make him pay.
4. History: Molly McCann becomes first British female to win a UFC fight
There haven’t been many British female fighters in the UFC, with a few hopefuls trying out through “The Ultimate Fighter.” Rosi Sexton, who had already picked up wins under the Cage Warriors and Bellator banner, was the first British female to ever compete in the UFC, but fell short to Alexis Davis at UFC 161 in 2013.
Liverpool’s Molly McCann’s UFC debut didn’t go as planned. She missed weight and suffered a first-round submission loss to Gillian Robertson in her hometown. But in her second UFC bout, McCann was matched up with tough Brazilian Priscila Cachoeira at UFC on ESPN+ 5 in London.
A former Cage Warriors champion, McCann had to battle through some serious adversity, as by the third round, McCann’s left eye was completely shut. However, she was able to overcome the nasty injury, and was awarded the unanimous decision after a hard-fought battle, becoming the UFC’s first female English winner.
McCann was expected to face Ashlee Evans-Smith this Saturday, looking for her fourth win in a row.
3. One shot, one kill: Jimi Manuwa knocks out Corey Anderson
English fans eagerly wait for the UFC to make their trip to London each year. At the top of the bill in 2017 was a light heavyweight matchup between knockout artist Jimi Manuwa and “Ultimate Fighter” winner Corey Anderson.
And while the fans initially had their doubt about the card, Manuwa made sure to leave them with a memorable performance.
Looking to land his powerful left hand, Manuwa pressured Anderson right out the gate, easily stuffing his first takedown attempt. After a few minutes stalking Anderson, Manuwa backed him up against the fence, tagging him with a perfect left hook. One shot, one kill, and they don’t call him the “Posterboy” for nothing.
Manuwa was able to redeem himself after his first UFC headliner at home, where he suffered a second-round TKO loss to Alexander Gustafsson in 2014. Gustafsson later became his teammate and was even in his corner for his win over Anderson.
2. Year of the “BMF”: Jorge Masvidal silences the crowd with knockout over Darren Till
It had been 16 months since we last saw Jorge Masvidal, when he made the walk against Darren Till in the UFC on ESPN+ 5 headliner in London.
With his back against the wall, Masvidal was coming off back-to-back losses to Demian Maia and Stephen Thompson, as he entered enemy territory to take on former UFC welterweight title challenger,Till.
It wasn’t the best of starts for Masvidal, who came out like a bat out of hell, landing a side kick right below Till’s belt, putting a stop to the action. A few seconds after they resumed, Till tagged Masvidal with a perfectly timed left hand which sat him down.
But it lit a fire under Masvidal, who started to press forward aggressively. Till pressed forward as well, as the two battled for the center of the octagon. Till continued to land some solid left hand shots, but Masvidal was able to tag Till with a few counters, mixing things up with some body kicks, which set the tone for Round 2.
In the second round, Masvidal was starting to find a home for some of his strikes, landing on the counter. Just over the round’s midway mark, Masvidal lunged forward with an overhand left, followed by another left while Till was on his way down, knocking him out cold, and silencing the O2 arena.
Masvidal rebounded emphatically, kickstarting an incredible year, on route to capturing the “BMF” title with a win over Nate Diaz in the main event of the memorable UFC 244.
1. Michael Bisping takes thriller over the legend, Anderson Silva
Michael Bisping’s legacy was nearly set in stone as tough guy who just couldn’t get over the highest hurdle.
He put together solid, lengthy win streaks over the course of his UFC career, but every time he’d get a pivotal opportunity, it wouldn’t go his way. Bisping would pick himself back up, go on an another impressive run, but once again fall short in the title eliminator bouts.
He fought all over the world, taking on anyone the UFC put in front of him. After two straight wins over C.B. Dolloway in Canada, and Thales Leites in Glasgow, Bisping headlined UFC Fight Night 84 against one of the greatest fighters of all time, former UFC middleweight king, Anderson Silva. He was initially meant to face Gegard Mousasi, but a late shuffle resulted in a massive opportunity.
And while it wasn’t without plenty of adversity, this time, Bisping was not going to let his big moment go to waste. Bisping came out putting on his usual aggressive, high pace, throwing not just single shots, but one, two, and three-punch combinations. Silva played his usual games, dazzling with his incredible reflexes and movement, but Bisping was landing, even dropping Silva in the second round.
However, with seconds remaining in Round 3, Bisping dropped his mouthpiece, and looked down, asking referee Herb Dean to hand it to him. With Bisping’s attention diverted away, he was met with a thunderous knee from Silva, that sent a bloody Bisping to the canvas right at the sound of the horn. Was he knocked out? At least Silva thought so as he climbed the octagon in celebration.
A dazed Bisping immediately got back up and sat on his stool. Incredibly, he wasn’t knocked out, and with Dean about to wave the fight off, Bisping let him know that he was still in it, and willing to continue fighting.
An unfazed and battered Bisping, continued to press forward, showing off his cardio in the latter rounds. After the scorecards were gathered, Bisping was awarded the unanimous decision, picking up the biggest win of his career.
That win would give him the opportunity to step in on short notice to replace an injured Chris Weidman at UFC 199, for a shot against then-UFC middleweight champion, Luke Rockhold, who already held a win and finish over him.
It was a shot at redemption for Bisping, who fully capitalized on the opportunity, shocking the world with a first-round knockout over Rockhold at UFC 199 and making him the first British fighter in history to win a UFC title.
