UFC 286 to be held in UK but Dana White opts against stadium spectacle after raising concerns over UK weather

The UFC returns to the UK for a third event in the space of 12 months.

On Wednesday, MMA’s premier promotion announced it was returning to London on Saturday March 18 for its second UK numbered event following Michael Bisping’s middleweight title defense at UFC 204 in Manchester six years ago.

UFC 286 will take place at the O2 Arena, which hosted two successful UFC events in 2022 but was thought to be too small to host a pay-per-view show.

Dana White publicly discussed holding an event at a UK stadium but ultimately opted against it after previously admitting he was worried about coping with our notoriously bad weather.

“Everyone knows how much I love our fans in the UK,” the UFC boss said in a press release.

“We’ve had two amazing shows in London in 2022, and this time we’re putting on a world title fight with the biggest and baddest card we could put together at The O2 on March 18.”

“The UK MMA scene is exploding with talent at the moment and I can’t wait to show you what we have in store for you next year.”

At this time, no fight has been officially announced for the card, but the world title fight that White is referring to is considered a trilogy fight between Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman.

‘Rocky’ only became Britain’s second UFC champion earlier this year when he knocked out Usman who had previously beaten him by decision in their first fight seven years ago.

Edwards will most likely be joined on the card by many of his compatriots such as Darren Till and Paddy Pimblett who fight at UFC 282 this weekend.

Molly McCann, Arnold Allen and Tom Aspinall are just a few of the other big names who will also be vying for a spot on what promises to be a historic card.

Tickets for UFC 286 will go on sale from 10:00 GMT on Friday, January 27 through AXS and Ticketmaster.

Fight Club members can purchase early tickets at 10:00 GMT on Wednesday, January 25, while those who have expressed interest in the event early will get priority access at 10:00 on Thursday, January 26.