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This weekend sees the UFC return to the UK for the first time since before the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, as the promotion heads to London for its latest Fight Night.
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The UFC first visited the UK way back in 2002. In the years that have followed, they’ve put on numerous major events in the country, producing some great fights along the way.
While the UK hasn’t seen too many major title fights over the years, it has seen plenty of explosive finishes, incredible upsets and some of the more memorable octagon moments for plenty of fans.
With that in mind, here are five of the greatest UFC fights to take place in the UK.
#5. Michael Bisping vs. Denis Kang – UFC 105
In late 2009, Michael Bisping found himself at a crossroads of sorts. Following his octagon debut in 2006, ‘The Count’ had worked hard to prove that he wasn’t simply a product of the UFC’s hype machine, but outside of a 2008 win over Chris Leben, he hadn’t really been able to beat a proven top fighter.
More to the point, his first attempt to step up to the elite level ended in disaster, as Dan Henderson knocked him out in one of the most replayed finishes in UFC and MMA history, wrecking his hopes of making a run at the middleweight title.
When he was matched with former PRIDE superstar Denis Kang in his hometown of Manchester, then, it was essentially do or die for him. Sure, Kang wasn’t quite at the top of his game at that point, but the Canadian was still recognized as one of the world’s best 185lbers.
Early on in the fight, it looked like things would end in disaster for Bisping again. Kang decked him with a short right hand in the early going. While ‘The Count’ survived the shot, he was unable to get up from underneath his opponent for the entirety of the first round.
In the second round, though, Bisping decided to change things up entirely. He surprised Kang with a takedown and quickly began to batter him with some heavy punches and elbows, cutting the Canadian open.
From there, the tide of the fight turned entirely. Kang got to his feet, only for Bisping to take him down again. From there, he simply didn’t let up, destroying his foe with more brutal strikes until the referee had to step in.
Not only was this a great fight, but it was also a signal that Bisping was indeed ready to break into the UFC elite at 185 pounds. For the most part, he didn’t look back.
#4. Jorge Masvidal vs. Darren Till – UFC Fight Night 147
When Darren Till suddenly broke through as a potential star in late 2017 thanks to his knockout of longtime fan favorite Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone, it felt as if the UFC had stumbled upon its new poster-boy for the UK market.
Unsurprisingly, ‘The Gorilla’ was given a huge push, headlining the promotion’s first visit to his home city of Liverpool in a win over Stephen Thompson. Despite failing to win the welterweight title from Tyron Woodley in 2018, it seemed like 2019 would be a big year for him.
So it appeared to make plenty of sense when he was matched with Jorge Masvidal in the headline bout at the UFC’s first visit of the year to London. After all, while ‘Gamebred’ had long been considered an excellent fighter, he also hadn’t fought for well over a year prior to taking the bout.
When the fight came around, Masvidal had a different look entirely, having grown his hair and beard out. Early on, it didn’t appear to have helped him at all.
Literally as soon as the fight began, Till dropped him with a heavy left hand, seemingly knocking him senseless. Somehow, though, ‘Gamebred’ managed to survive and got to his feet. The two welterweights then continued to exchange strikes for the remainder of the round. While it was close to call, it appeared that ‘The Gorilla’ had the edge.
Incredibly, that didn’t last long. While Till continued to back Masvidal up during the early going in the second round, it was clear that ‘Gamebred’ was beginning to find his range. Just past the midway point, his work paid off.
He landed a heavy right hand on Till, seemingly from nowhere. He then followed with a coffin nail left hook that knocked ‘The Gorilla’ silly.
Not only was this a huge comeback win for Masvidal, but it was also one of the most brutal knockouts the UK had ever seen. It also basically turned ‘Gamebred’ into a star overnight, making it one of the most memorable fights to take place on British shores.
#3. Carlos Condit vs. Dan Hardy – UFC 120
By late 2010, it was arguable that despite his failure to beat Georges St-Pierre for the UFC welterweight title, Dan Hardy had overtaken Michael Bisping when it came to being the promotion’s poster-boy in the UK.
‘The Outlaw’ had defeated the likes of Mike Swick and Marcus Davis in the octagon, and looked and acted every part the big superstar. When he was matched with Carlos Condit in the co-headline bout at UFC 120, then, it was hard not to be excited.
Condit, the former WEC welterweight champ, had already put on some wildly entertaining fights in the octagon. On paper at least, his match with Hardy appeared to guarantee fireworks. Thankfully, the clash lived up to all the hype.
In front of a sold-out crowd in London’s O2 Arena, the two welterweights went toe-to-toe from the off, with both men landing some telling blows. However, as the first round appeared to be coming to an end, there was one big bang yet to come.
At the end of another exchange, both Hardy and Condit threw left hooks at one another at exactly the same time – but ‘The Natural Born Killer’ got there first.
His punch sent ‘The Outlaw’ crashing to the mat. After following up with a couple of largely pointless additional shots, Condit had collected the biggest scalp of his MMA career.
The finish remains one of the most memorable in modern UFC history. While it largely signaled an end to Hardy’s run at the top of the division, it kickstarted Condit’s, as two fights later, he captured the interim welterweight title.
#2. Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Mirko Cro Cop – UFC 70
In April 2007, when the UFC returned to the UK for the first time in five years, the promotion brought plenty of big guns. However, none were bigger than headliner Mirko Cro Cop.
The PRIDE Openweight Grand Prix champion was the promotion’s biggest acquisition in years. Given that he’d been destroying top fighters for years in Japan and had walked through Eddie Sanchez in his octagon debut, it seemed like only a matter of time before he captured UFC gold.
When he was matched with Brazilian grappler Gabriel Gonzaga with a shot at Randy Couture’s heavyweight title on the line, then, it seemed academic that the Croatian would probably end things violently.
Incredibly, though, the exact opposite happened. Cro Cop did land one of his famed kicks to the body in the fight’s early going, only for ‘Napao’ to eat it right up and counter with a takedown. From there, he went to work with a series of stiff elbows from the top position.
When referee Herb Dean stood the fight up, it felt like Cro Cop would finally get his chance to find a fight-ending strike. Before he could even attempt one, Gonzaga stunned everyone by landing a brutal right head kick, essentially beating the Croatian at his own game.
Cro Cop was folded, knocked completely unconscious by the shot, and the live crowd were basically stunned into silence in the process.
Not only was this one of the biggest upsets in MMA history, it was also one of the most violent finishes that has ever taken place in the octagon. More than that, it transformed the promotion’s return to the UK into one of the most memorable events ever, something that still rings true over a decade on.
#1. Michael Bisping vs. Anderson Silva – UFC Fight Night 84
While it didn’t feature an explosive finish like Condit vs. Hardy or Gonzaga vs. Cro Cop, it’s probably fair to suggest that the greatest UFC fight to ever take place on UK soil remains the February 2016 clash between former middleweight kingpin Anderson Silva and British favorite Michael Bisping.
At the time, it felt like the promotion was essentially throwing a bone to Bisping for his years of hard work and persistence. After all, ‘The Count’ had been chasing a fight with Silva for years while he was middleweight champion, only for it to slip away from his grasp every time.
With Silva’s title reign now over, though, there was no reason not to make the fight. It made for a naturally intriguing headline bout for 2016’s visit to London, despite many fans believing both men were past their primes.
If that was the case, neither man showed it when they stepped into the octagon. The first round saw Bisping push the pace, while Silva seemed almost too content to attempt to dance around and draw him into a false sense of security. That gameplan quickly went out of the window when ‘The Count’ dropped him in the dying moments of the second round, seemingly coming close to stopping him.
Sure enough, ‘The Spider’ turned the heat up on the Brit in the third round, pushing the pace more than he’d done before and landing with some cleaner strikes. When he knocked Bisping’s mouthpiece out with a combination dying seconds, ‘The Count’ made the error of signaling to referee Herb Dean, allowing Silva to crumple him with a flying knee.
Suddenly, mayhem broke out, as Silva assumed the fight was over, climbing the fence in celebration, only to be told by Dean that the round was over, not the fight itself. Somehow, despite being left a bloody mess, Bisping had survived.
From there, the fight was all about the sheer heart of ‘The Count’, as he willed himself back into proceedings and took the fourth round with his superior volume. He then survived one of Silva’s patented front kicks to the jaw in the dying seconds of the fifth.
The fight ended up in the hands of the judges. Deciding he’d won the first, second and fourth rounds, Bisping was awarded a decision, giving him the biggest win of his career, even if Silva was slightly past his best.
‘The Count’ famously went one better in his next fight, winning the middleweight title from Luke Rockhold in a classic upset. However, in terms of a sheer visceral thrill, the clash with Silva remains his best fight, and it stands at the top of all the fights to take place in the UK over the years.
