There was controversy in the featherweight main event of UFC London on Saturday, as Movsar Evloev won a contentious decision over Lerone Murphy.
The first three rounds were closely contested on the feet, but with Manchester’s Murphy arguably having a slight edge over his Russian opponent, who was bizarrely neglecting his trademark wrestling. And although Evloev reverted to his strengths in the final two rounds, he was docked a point in the fourth after landing his second hard low blow of the night.
All the above seemingly set up a close result either way, perhaps even a draw, yet the scorecards read 48-46, 48-46, 47-47 in favour of Evloev. With that, the Russian stayed unbeaten, handed Murphy his first loss, and Evloev may well be next for champion Alexander Volkanovski.
In the co-main event, Liverpool’s Luke Riley moved to 2-0 in the UFC with a decision win over Michael Aswell Jr, while Michael “Venom” Page and Sam Patterson failed to deliver the quality that was expected in their all-British bout, as Page won comfortably on points.
Follow all the fallout from UFC London and re-live the action:
UFC London 2026 LIVE
- Manchester’s Lerone Murphy controversially edged out by Movsar Evloev in UFC London main event
- Evloev triumphed on scorecards despite having point deducted to deny Murphy a title shot
- Co-main event: Paddy Pimblett’s teammate Luke Riley bags second UFC win
- Michael ‘Venom’ Page grinds out decision win against ex-training partner Sam Patterson
- Fan favourite Nathaniel Wood and rising heavyweight Mario Pinto win on prelims
Dana White dismisses scoring controversy after main event
02:30 , Alex PattleWell, UFC president and CEO Dana White doesn’t agree with us!
🗣️ "I don't think there's any controversy!"
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) March 22, 2026
The boss @DanaWhite on our #UFCLondon main event 🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/FyeuY4JxWm
Evloev explains lack of wrestling in win over Murphy
01:59 , Alex PattleAt the post-fight press conference, Evloev tells The Independent there was never a plan not to take down Murphy, but that the takedown should come naturally – and the Briton managed range too well for him to shoot takedowns in the early rounds.
Murphy’s title hopes take huge hit after controversial defeat
01:36 , Alex PattleHere’s Will Castle’s report from the O2 Arena!
Lerone Murphy’s title hopes take huge hit after controversial defeat at UFC London
Was Murphy Evloev’s toughest opponent so far?
01:14 , Alex Pattle“Definitely one of the hardest, but that’s obvious, because it’s not easy to stay undefeated at this level [and Murphy was before tonight].”
Murphy also notes his visa issues getting to London, and the crowd supporting Murphy.
“I pretty much slept just a couple of hours a day [in the build-up].”
Evloev on Jean Silva claiming he's next for champion Alex Volkanovski
00:56 , Alex Pattle“He’s just lying.”
Evloev on the scoring and whether he was confident he'd won
00:47 , Alex Pattle“I was confident that I won, yeah, but maybe most of them are saying [I lost] because of this point [deduction].”
Evloev on his point deduction for landing two low blows
00:40 , Alex Pattle“I felt bad because I hurt him like that. It’s so, so bad when somebody hurts you there. It was by accident, I’m not trying to stop this fight... I did worse for myself, because I gave him another minute to take a rest.”
Evloev reacts to narrow win over Murphy
00:32 , Alex PattleEvloev tells the media at the post-fight press conference :
“Mostly I use my wrestling, but like I said before many times, my striking is also good.
“Even if I can’t finish, if I show my striking skills, it’ll maybe be the key to get a title shot.
“What else? Let’s fight for the title.”
Murphy vs Evloev: Did the judges get it right?
00:23 , Alex PattleFrom cageside, I had Murphy either 2-1 or 3-0 up after three rounds. Now, the latter may seem kind, but bear in mind all three rounds felt close. I definitely lean towards 2-1.
Then, Evloev clearly won the final two rounds but was docked that point in the fourth.
So, I could really understand a draw or a narrow Murphy win.
Cageside, it didn’t feel at all like we were about to have an Evloev win announced.
Luke Riley and the risky attempt to recreate a Paddy Pimblett moment at UFC London
00:13 , Alex PattleThis was a risky move. In just his second fight in the UFC, Liverpool’s Luke Riley was deployed in a co-main-event slot in London – a spot he admitted he had likely not earned.
The UFC’s intent was clear: with a certain friend, teammate and fellow Scouser in his corner, Riley would have extra eyes on him on Saturday. Of course, the man in question was Paddy Pimblett.
See, “Paddy The Baddy” was used in a very similar slot at the same stage of his UFC career. After a successful debut in late 2021, Pimblett was third-from-top of the bill at UFC London in March 2022, as the O2 Arena’s dome threatened to fall in on itself – such was the explosion of noise from fans. Now here was Riley, having scored a KO on his UFC debut in late 2025, co-headlining UFC London in March 2026.
Luke Riley and the risky attempt to recreate a Paddy Pimblett moment at UFC London
Murphy misses out on title shot in contentious main event
Saturday 21 March 2026 23:52 , Will Castle
Murphy vs Evloev ends in controversy
Saturday 21 March 2026 23:34 , Will CastleLerone Murphy was more than gracious in defeat but either way, we’re not too sure about that decision.
Movsar Evloev’s deducted point made it seem clear that he needed a finish to get the win. Instead, two of the judges scored him four of the rounds, which is honestly quite baffling.
We can question the outcome, but it won’t change anything. Murphy has lost his zero and missed out on shot at the featherweight title.
Evloev edges Murphy on the scorecards despite point deduction
Saturday 21 March 2026 23:28 , Will CastleThe scorecards are in...
Movsar Evloev def. Lerone Murphy via majority decision (48-46, 48-46, 47-47)
Despite a point deduction in the fourth round, Evloev still gets it done and Murphy’s undefeated record is no more.
“Sorry to let you down tonight,” Murphy tells the crowd. “Make sure Movsar gets the title shot, he deserves it.”
Murphy vs Evloev goes the distance
Saturday 21 March 2026 23:25 , Will CastleRound five
Murphy’s corner implores with him to put everything into this final round. “It’s 2-2, this can change your life.”
But off the back of his best round of the fight, Evloev starts well and lands a huge takedown. He’s taken complete control in these championship rounds.
He searches for the submission; Murphy evades. The Brit desperately gets back to his feet and looks like he’s tiring. Evloev can sense it as he rains in punches.
Murphy, searching deep inside himself to get this over the line, responds with a nice one-two before landing a beautiful shot, faking with the right leg before cracking Evloev with an overhand left.
But in a potentially costly error, Murphy shows Evloev his back while going for a spinning attack and is taken down once more.
They finish the fight on the feet and trading strikes as the crowd reaches a crescendo. A very competitive fight. That point deduction will be pivotal.
Evloev gets point taken off
Saturday 21 March 2026 23:18 , Will CastleRound four
Ouch. The fourth round doesn’t get going for long before Evloev lands his second heavy low blow of the fight. Murphy was able to shake up the first one, but that shot leaves him crawling on the floor in agony.
Referee Marc Goddard isn’t going to let the Russian get away with this - and he takes a point off! Evloev now surely needs a finish to win this.
Evloev searches for the takedown but Murphy defends well. “The Miracle” then looks for another spinning elbow attack - the one he slept Aaron Pico with last year - and lands on the abdomen.
Evloev responds by shooting once more, and this takedown attempt is near perfect. He gets Murphy to the ground with a tight grip around the Brit, but Murphy is astounding with his persisting ability to get back to his feet!
Then there’s a scare. Murphy gets hurt with a heavy body shot and Evloev lays in some damaging hammerfists. With 45 seconds to go, Murphy needs to survive - and he does.
Murphy finding real rhythm
Saturday 21 March 2026 23:11 , Will CastleRound three
Evloev is doing well on the feet but he has to know he isn’t going to beat Murphy in a kickboxing fight. You feel a takedown has to come soon.
The pair get into things at the start of the third and Murphy lands a heavy knee by fence. Evloev absorbs it and, finally, proceeds to dump the Brit to the mat.
It doesn’t take long for Murphy to get back to his feet, however. That’ll be hugely encouraging.
Murphy then gets a reaction from the crowd as he lands an eccentric spinning wheel kick. He’s dishing out offence, changing the levels and Evloev is now struggling to get into any rhythm. The Russian now firmly on the back foot.
It feels like Evloev may need a finish to win this fight as we enter the closing stages of the third - and that’s evident as he cracks Murphy with a BIG overhand right in the final seconds. Murphy covers up as the buzzer goes - into the championship rounds we go.
Still no takedowns from Evloev
Saturday 21 March 2026 23:03 , Will CastleRound two
That was the first time Evloev hasn’t landed a takedown in a round since 2021. His corner urges him to shoot - it’s in his mind.
Evloev throws a body kick that’s caught by Murphy, leading the Russian to tumble onto the mat; he’s quickly back up. Murphy then lands a lovely kick of his own before connecting with a clean left.
Murphy is just searching for these small openings while at the same time moving in such a way that Evloev is struggling to find opportunities to shoot.
The pair exchange strikes close to the bell. Better from Murphy, but still a close round.
Evloev showing off his striking acumen as Murphy starts slow
Saturday 21 March 2026 22:57 , Will CastleRound one
Evloev is successfully proving that he is far more than just wrestling during the early stages. He throws two huge overhands - the second clipping the Brit on the back of the ear - before sending Murphy into the fence with a front kick.
Murphy, on the other hand, hasn’t offered much. It takes four minutes for him to really start to attack, but Evloev’s reflexes are good enough to dodge his significant offence.
No takedowns in the first, but that was still Evloev’s to take. Work needed by Murphy.
Main event time!
Saturday 21 March 2026 22:39 , Will CastleLadies and gentlemen, it’s time for your main event of the evening!
Lerone Murphy competes in the biggest fight of his career, as the British star headlines tonight’s UFC London card against Movsar Evloev.
The main-event contest sees Manchester’s Murphy and his Russian opponent put their unbeaten records on the line, and a shot at featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski surely awaits the winner.
Some serious stakes on this bout - we’ll have all the updates round-by-round, right here!
Riley beats Aswell Jr on scorecards
Saturday 21 March 2026 22:34 , Will CastleLuke Riley def. Michael Aswell Jr via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Riley gets stays undefeated and goes 2-0 in the UFC!
He doesn’t get the finish like he managed on his debut but the Riley train is still very much on the tracks.
Riley vs Aswell Jr goes to decision
Saturday 21 March 2026 22:32 , Will CastleRound three
After being told to “wake the f*** up” by his corner, Aswell tries once again to take to this fight to the mat early in the final round, but two attempts are well defended by Riley.
Aswell then tries to lock in a guillotine choke but Riley slips out.
The American is actually outstriking Riley by the numbers, but it’s the Liverpudlian who’s hitting HARDER as Aswell eats a few big rights in the latter stages.
This one goes to a decision...
Riley and Aswell Jr going back and forth
Saturday 21 March 2026 22:26 , Will CastleRound two
Riley finds himself thwarted in the first couple of minutes as Aswell wraps his arms around the Liverpudlian’s abdomen and forces him against the fence. Riley eventually gets the separation and gets back on the front foot.
While owning the centre of the octagon, Riley is caught with some nice combinations before the pair trade heavy punches, which gets a reaction from the crowd. Some nice back and forth action.
Riley lands some big body shots as well as a right under the chin to see out the round in a positive way.
Riley finding his range after shaky start
Saturday 21 March 2026 22:19 , Will CastleRound one
Riley looks for the fast start but gets cracked by a right hook by Aswell - an early warning sign not to get reckless on the big occasion.
After having Riley up against the cage, Aswell lands another heavy left and a nice one-two, but the Scouser eats it up.
Riley then starts having a bit of joy as he finds his range, taking control of the centre, and stuns Aswell with a right. This is better from Riley with Aswell’s chin exposed.
Another HUGE right hand from Riley is followed up by a left - he’s grown into this! He puts the exclamation point on the first round with a sharp one-two in the final second.
Page beats Patterson as fans express frustration
Saturday 21 March 2026 22:03 , Alex PattleMichael “Venom” Page def. Sam Patterson via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
More boos from the crowd, but it’s obviously the right result.
Furthermore, it’s testament to how good Page is that he was able to halt Patterson’s four-fight run of stoppage wins.
Let’s hope Page gets the kind of fight he wants and deserves next.
More boos as Patterson and Page fail to deliver
Saturday 21 March 2026 22:00 , Alex PattleRound three
Page wings a MASSIVE overhand, which doesn’t land but does draw some cheers from the crowd.
Now a jumping, switch oblique kick from MVP. Nice. Patterson comes forward somewhat awkwardly with a pawing right hook, but he fails to land it twice.
He is able to hold Page against the fence, at least, until MVP reverses the position. Patterson reverses it again.
Two minutes to go and the pair are finally separated, after a prolonged period in which neither could advance the position.
Clubbing right hook from Page, before he sidesteps Patterson and has the younger man colliding with the fence.
Patterson is now trying to get something going in the striking, but he walks onto yet another counter right. When he finally closes distance, he ties up with MVP – yet again. He’s not gonna score here.
To the scorecards we’ll go, as the crowd rains down boos.
Page vs Patterson not delivering yet
Saturday 21 March 2026 21:54 , Alex PattleRound two
The ref seemed to warn the fighters before this round, saying they need to be more active! That’s unusual, but it does happen.
Page lands a slick counter right cross early in the round. Patterson is coming forward but struggling to pin down Page.
Maybe Patterson would be better served throwing kicks to the front leg of Page – which is so exposed – rather than trying these one-twos up top.
Now Patterson clatters into Page, which is one way to change things up! He drives him to the fence and tries to grapple, but MVP defends well and gets free.
Patterson finally gets some low kicks going, but to be fair to Page, he slides his leg back swiftly. MVP with a bit of dancing now, trying to get Patterson to throw something he doesn’t want to throw.
More boos from the crowd. It’s fair to say this one isn’t delivering.
Oh! But a hard right cross from MVP now – it’s another counter as Patterson steps forward. Patterson tries to hold Page against the fence, but yet again he struggles to make progress.
Michael ‘Venom’ Page and Sam Patterson in all-English clash
Saturday 21 March 2026 21:46 , Alex PattleRound one
MVP takes the centre of the cage immediately in that stark karate stance. Patterson skips one way then the other, trying not to be static against the fence.
MVP plays around, dropping his hands to try to get a reaction out of Patterson.
The crowd is getting restless, given next to nothing has been thrown so far.
Front kick to the body by Patterson, whose punches have been miles off so far. Big counter right hand from Page now, as Patterson tries to close range.
Now it’s MVP who gets tagged up close. Still he presses forward, drawing lots of twitches out of Patterson by feinting on repeat.
More boos from the crowd during a slower period of the round. Page lands a grazing spinning back kick with a few seconds left, then a cleaner back fist.
Baraniewski’s star continues to rise with 28-second win
Saturday 21 March 2026 21:24 , Alex PattleOH, MY WORD! Baraniewski scores a rapid win, notching a TKO within seconds!
Baraniewski with a huge right hook then a left, and Lane went down. A series of punches on the downed American, and the ref stepped in.
Lane complained, but it was a fair stoppage; he ate a good few punches on the mat.
The result follows Baraniewski’s recent win over Ibo Aslan, a mad fight that lasted around 90 seconds but carried more drama than most you’ll see. It was one of our fights of the year for 2025.
Just 28 seconds needed by Iwo this time... He is now 8-0 with eight first-round finishes.
Christian Leroy Duncan scores biggest win yet
Saturday 21 March 2026 21:08 , Alex PattleChristian Leroy Duncan def. Roman Dolidze via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Another win for a Brit! Not his slickest performance, not the easiest night, but he did well to score in spurts.
That’s the biggest win of his career so far.
Brits are 5-3 this evening.
Liverpool’s Kurtis Campbell suffers second-round TKO
Saturday 21 March 2026 20:30 , Alex PattleOh! A big right hand hurts Campbell, who’s in real trouble against the fence...
Campbell drops to his knees, pops back up, drops again, then a third huge right crumples him!
He’s not out completely, but the referee has seen enough and waves it off... I think that’s the right call.
Campbell is beaten for the first time.
Jones picks up another win for Team GB!
Saturday 21 March 2026 20:00 , Alex PattleMason Jones def. Axel Sola via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
A deserved win by Jones and so much heart shown from both men. Wow. Jones is fired-up in his post-fight interview in the cage (he apologises for swearing!)
Wood ekes out victory on scorecards
Saturday 21 March 2026 19:33 , Will CastleKeita has really grown into this fight and and is swinging for the fences as he searches for a statement final-round finish.
Wood is still chipping away with the jabs but as far as damage is concerned, the occasional Keita haymaker could swing this in his favour on the scorecards.
This has been a really close fight and as the buzzer goes, both men celebrate. We go to a decision...
Nathaniel Wood def. Losene Keita via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)
The Londoner stays undefeated in London and extends his win streak to four against a very tricky opponent!
Still undefeated!
Saturday 21 March 2026 19:06 , Will CastleFor a man with proven knockout power, the gameplan for Pinto is clearly to take Franco down to the ground, something that he finally manages to achieve after four minutes of successful defence from his opponent in the second round. Maybe that’s edged him on the scorecards going into the third, but this has been a close bout.
With Franco tiring, Pinto shoots again at the beginning of a potentially decisive final round and succeeds. He’s got him up against the fence and is just digging into the Brazilian’s body.
The Portuguese heavyweight nearly gets caught with a knee as he goes for another late single leg - he eats it up before closing out the bout by trading strikes. We go to a decision...
Mario Pinto def. Felipe Franco via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Not as explosive as we’re perhaps used to seeing him, but Pinto gets it done and keeps his zero intact!
Kondratavicius gets the win
Saturday 21 March 2026 18:44 , Will CastleAn impressive performance from Kondratavicius, who doesn’t get the desired finish but sees out the unanimous decision win.
Some big shots landed from Kondratavicius, especially in that second round, with the Lithuanian clearly the more effective of the two.
Trocoli, with a cut above the left eye, knew his fate as Bruce Buffer read out the result...
Mantas Kondratavicius def. Antonio Trocoli by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-27, 29-27)
Louie Sutherland succumbs to first-round stoppage
Saturday 21 March 2026 18:10 , Will CastleWe expected all out madness and we expected it to be short - but it’s not to be for the “Vanilla Gorilla”.
He succumbs to a first-round stoppage at the heavy hands of Brando Pericic after engaging in a proper slugfest. The Brit is just overwhelmed by Pericic’s ground strikes and falls to 0-2 in the UFC.
Brando Pericic def. Louie Sutherland via first-round knockout (ground strikes, 1:48)
“F**ing hell! F**’s sake!” Sutherland bellows after losing.
Pimblett teammate Shem Rock falls to 0-2 in UFC
Saturday 21 March 2026 17:59 , Alex PattleOh, it kicks off after the final buzzer!
There’s an altercation between Rock and Al-Sewady, leading security to separate them as fans boo. Eventually the fighters seem to squash it, to be fair.
A tense wait for the scorecards now...
Rock did more of the front-foot fighting, but he often took a shot to land one. He fought very nicely in spurts with some slick striking and slippery defensive grappling, but he also showed some holes in his game...
Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady def. Shem Rock via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Wow, we saw it closer than that, with an Al-Sewady win certainly fair – but maybe 29-28 fairer.
Shanelle Dyer gets things going with stoppage victory
Saturday 21 March 2026 17:23 , Alex PattleIt’s already DEAFENING in the O2 as Dyer stops Oliveira early in round two!
Her body work freezes Oliveira, before an onslaught of strikes and some bullying wrestling set up a TKO against the cage.
If it’s this loud already, what will it be like for MVP, Riley and Murphy?
