UFC 286 to take place in London in March

Sign up to our free sport newsletter for all the latest news on everything from cycling to boxing Sign up to our free sport email for all the latest news Sign up to our free sport email for all the latest news SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. UFC 286, scheduled for Saturday 18 March, will mark the first UFC pay-per-view card to take place in the UK for six years, and it follows two sold-out Fight Night events at the O2 Arena this year. After Leon Edwards defeated Kamaru Usman with a knockout of the year contender in Utah in August to become Britain’s second ever UFC champion, the promotion’s president Dana White said he was looking to stage a rematch between the pair at a UK stadium in 2023. Wigan heavyweight Tom Aspinall fought in the main event of both editions of UFC London in 2022, submitting veteran Alexander Volkov in March before suffering an unfortunate knee injury just 15 seconds into his July clash with Curtis Blaydes. Aspinall is unlikely to have healed in time to fight at UFC 286, while Liverpudlian stars Paddy Pimblett and Darren Till are competing at UFC 282 in Las Vegas this Saturday, so may be fit for March’s card in London depending on how their bouts play out this weekend.