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This weekend sees the UFC return to London, England for its latest Fight Night event. All eyes will be on heavyweight headliners Curtis Blaydes and Tom Aspinall once the show begins.
The UFC’s latest trip to London is filled with exciting fighters from top to bottom, so is there a chance that one of them could steal the spotlight from the headliners?
The answer is definitely. While the main event could prove to be an excellent bout, a number of the fighters on the undercard have the ability to make the show all about them instead.
Here are five UFC fighters who could steal the spotlight in London this weekend.
#5. Molly McCann – UFC women's flyweight
The last time the UFC made a trip to London, no fewer than nine fighters were handed $50k bonuses for their performances in the octagon. However, while the likes of Paddy Pimblett and Arnold Allen definitely shone that night, the fighter who delivered the biggest knockout was definitely Molly McCann.
Already a cult favorite of sorts with the UK fanbase, ‘Meatball’ dispatched Luana Carolina with a spinning back elbow in the third round of their flyweight bout, delivering what will likely go down as one of the very best finishes of 2022.
While the win did not move McCann into the top 15 at flyweight, a big win over Hannah Goldy this weekend could definitely see her crack the rankings for the first time.
Goldy is unranked in her own right, but given that the flyweight top 15 contains Amanda Ribas, a strawweight, and Cynthia Calvillo, who has not won a fight in over two years, then a win over ‘24k’ could definitely move McCann onto the rungs of that ladder.
More to the point, though, ‘Meatball’ is likely to get one of the biggest reactions from the crowd this weekend, meaning that the spotlight will be on her like never before. If she can deliver the goods as she did against Carolina, then, there’s every chance she could steal the show entirely.
#4. Paul Craig – UFC light heavyweight
While he certainly doesn’t possess the most charisma or the best microphone skills in the UFC light heavyweight division, there’s no denying that Paul Craig has quickly established himself as a must-see fighter whenever he steps into the octagon.
Win, lose or draw, ‘Bearjew’ always comes to fight, and it always seems like his fights contain some genuinely wild action.
Despite being buried on the undercard, his come-from-behind wins over Magomed Ankalaev and Kennedy Nzechukwu gained him plenty of popularity with the fans. More recently, his win over Jamahal Hill, which saw him disclocate Hill’s elbow, was one of the major talking points of UFC 263, despite that event featuring big names like Israel Adesanya and Nate Diaz.
This weekend sees Craig feature on the main card against high-end gatekeeper Volkan Oezdemir. With a win, the Scottish fighter could find himself in title contention, especially having risen up the ladder last time out in London with a memorable submission victory over Nikita Krylov.
More importantly, though, neither ‘Bearjew’ nor ‘No Time’ fight with a view to going the distance, meaning that this bout is highly likely to end with some kind of highlight-reel finish. Given Craig’s current form, it feels more likely that he could deliver it – and steal the show in the process.
#3. Alexander Gustafsson – UFC light heavyweight
While rising stars Paddy Pimblett and Tom Aspinall are definitely catching on with the fans, particularly in the UK, it’s arguable that the fighter with the most name value competing this weekend is Alexander Gustafsson.
‘The Mauler’ might be past his prime at this stage, having returned from retirement in 2020. But a few years ago, he was a regular headliner on UFC cards and fought for the light heavyweight title on three occasions, most notably against Jon Jones in their 2013 classic.
So, can Gustafsson turn back the clock and steal the spotlight again when he faces Nikita Krylov this weekend? Based on his recent form, it seems doubtful, but stranger things have happened.
The Swede hasn’t won a bout in the octagon since his 2017 victory over Glover Teixeira. However, the three losses he’s suffered since have hardly come against scrubs, as he was defeated by Jones, Anthony Smith and the much larger Fabricio Werdum.
More to the point, he’s taken two years off to recharge his batteries since that loss to the Brazilian. In Krylov, he’s got an opponent who, theoretically at least, should be more beatable than his last three.
The fans are likely to give ‘The Mauler’ a big reaction upon his arrival in London, so if he can find a way to defeat ‘The Miner’ and pick up his first win in over five years, it’s likely to provide arguably the most memorable moment of the night.
#2. Chris Curtis – UFC middleweight
Whenever a fighter takes a late-notice booking in the UFC, they’ve essentially got everything to gain and very little to lose. So, in that sense, Chris Curtis is already onto a winner this weekend. ‘Action Man’ only accepted his bout with Jack Hermansson on July 6, meaning few people are giving him a chance of winning.
However, Curtis has been in this position three times before in his career with the promotion. Nobody really expected him to defeat hot prospects Phil Hawes and Brendan Allen, and yet ‘Action Man’ stunned everyone by dispatching both of them in violent fashion.
Plenty of people thought that grappling ace Rodolfo Vieira would be able to take him out, too. Again, Curtis proved his doubters wrong by grinding out a decision.
This weekend, ‘Action Man’ will be under his biggest spotlight to date against Hermansson. If he can find a way to pull out a fourth win in a row, it’d be hard to deny him a spot in the middleweight rankings. More to the point, he’d also be a genuine title contender.
Therefore, if he can do that, particularly if he can find a way to turn out Hermansson’s lights as he did to Hawes and Allen, then he could definitely steal the show in London.
#1. Paddy Pimblett – UFC lightweight
Given his position as one of the fastest rising stars in the UFC right now, the fighter most likely to steal the spotlight in London this weekend is undoubtedly lightweight prospect Paddy Pimblett.
‘The Baddy’ is already reaching levels of popularity in the UK that could be compared to his predecessors such as Michael Bisping and Dan Hardy. While he hasn’t been pushed into the upper echelon of his division yet, it’s clear that he’s on the right trajectory.
This weekend sees him step up the ladder again, as he’s faced with Jordan Leavitt, a fighter who has won three of his four appearances in the octagon and has only ever lost once in his career.
‘The Monkey King’ promises to test Pimblett more than either Luigi Vendramini or Kazula Vargas did. Despite that, it’s arguable that ‘The Baddy’ should have too much in the way of offensive skill for him to deal with.
If Pimblett can score another highlight-reel finish, then, it’s likely that he’ll be the man who everyone is talking about after the show, even if his fellow Englishman Tom Aspinall can pick up a big win in the headliner.
