5 fights to book for the UFC's return to London

The UFC will return to the English capital this summer. The world's leading MMA promotion recently confirmed that a Fight Night show will be underway at the O2 Arena in London on July 22nd, but only a handful of fights have been confirmed for the card.

English fighters Molly McCann, Davey Grant and Marc Diakese have already been confirmed for the fight card, while lightweight star Paddy Pimblett has been ruled out as he continues injury rehabilitation. Fans can expect more big names to be added to the line-up over the coming weeks and we thought we'd pitch a few ideas.

On that note, here are five fights to make for the UFC's return to London.

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#5. Javid Basharat vs. Chris Gutierrez

The UFC bantamweight division is seen by many as the most exciting weight class across combat sports. The 135-pound bracket is unbelievably deep, evident in the number of high caliber fighters who don't even hold a place in the rankings. Javid Basharat is one of them.

Undefeated in his professional career, Basharat has already racked up three wins inside the octagon, in addition to his stellar outing in Dana White's Contender Series (DWCS), which earned him his UFC contract. The Afghan-born Brit warrants a ranked contender next and he demanded the same after his latest victory.

Javid Basharat's record stands at 14-0, comprising five knockouts and six submissions. 'The Snow Leopard' is very well-rounded, and at just 27, is only scratching the surface of what he's capable of. The ideal next opponent for Basharat would be No.14-ranked bantamweight Chris Gutierrez.

Gutierrez compiled an impressive eight-fight unbeaten run to break into the top 15, but came up short against divisional gatekeeper Pedro Munhoz last month. 'El Guapo' will likely have to fight down the rankings having already had his shot at a top 10 bantamweight.

Basharat vs. Gutierrez is a phenomenal matchup and would be a welcome addition to the upcoming UFC London card. For Basharat, it's a chance to fight in the city that kicked off his martial arts journey.

Basharat vs. Gutierrez [Images via @javidldn & @el_guapo_mma on Instagram]

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#4. Jake Hadley vs. Sumudaerji

The flyweight division has sprung to life in recent years, largely thanks to an influx of new talent. Jake Hadley stands out among the best new 125-pounders on the roster and should ideally be on the cusp of breaking into the rankings.

Hadley is also a graduate of DWCS. 'White Kong' has finished his last two opponents inside the octagon, and after his most recent outing, called out fellow British flyweight Muhammad Mokaev, who holds a spot in the top 15.

A grudge match against Muhammad Mokaev is unlikely at this stage, with 'The Punisher' targeting higher-ranked opponents. Jake Hadley will have to beat a few more contenders to get a shot at the red-hot Mokaev and his performances so far should get him a ranked flyweight next.

No.13-ranked flyweight Sumudaerji would be the ideal next opponent for Hadley. 'The Tibertan Eagle' has been in-and-around the top 10 for quite some time now, but hasn't quite broken through to the upper echelons of the division. He is coming off a loss to top-ranked Matt Schnell and hasn't competed for nearly a year.

Sumudaerji will likely have to defend his spot in the rankings when he returns to action. With Hadley gunning for a place in the top 15, this is the fight to make.

Hadley vs. Sumudaerji [Images via @jakehadleymma & @mudaerji_su on Instagram]

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#3. Gunnar Nelson vs. Michael Chiesa

The Ultimate Fighter winner and UFC welterweight contender Michael Chiesa has endured a disappointing run of late. After back-to-back losses to Vicente Luque and Sean Brady, Chiesa was booked to fight Li Jingliang earlier this year, but an injury to the Chinese 170-pounder saw their bout get scrapped.

Chiesa has been on the lookout for an opponent ever since and has even called for a fight against fellow promotional veteran Gunnar Nelson, despite the latter not being ranked.

After his unanimous decision loss to Gilbert Burns back in 2019, Gunnar Nelson took a two-year hiatus from the sport. He returned in emphatic fashion, picking up wins over Takashi Sato and Bryan Barberena. Despite his softspoken nature and inactivity, 'Gunny' remains a fan favorite.

A fight against Michael Chiesa would be an absolute treat. Both fighters boast excellent submission skills and just the grappling exchanges alone make this matchup worth booking. The welterweight duo have 24 submission wins between them in their professional careers, so need we say more?

Additionally, Chiesa has called for a fight against Nelson specifically for the upcoming UFC London card. Let's just hope the matchmakers oblige.

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#2. Paul Craig vs. Brendan Allen

Given his turbulent run in the light heavyweight division so far, Paul Craig's championship aspirations seem quite out of reach. Despite holding wins over champion Jamahal Hill and top contender Magomed Ankalaev, Craig's losses to other fighters ranked above him don't warrant a fast-track to the top of the division.

As such, the Scottish grappling phenom recently announced that he is looking to drop down to middleweight in pursuit of UFC gold.

There's no shortage of intriguing matchups for Paul Craig at 185 pounds. While he has claimed that he'd like to fight No.7-ranked Sean Strickland, that matchup is unlikely considering Strickland is booked to take on Abus Magomedov on July 1st. Alternatively, a fight against No.13-ranked Brendan Allen seems to make sense for all parties involved.

Allen was slated to take on Jack Hermansson in June. However, an injury to 'The Joker' robbed Allen off his maiden UFC main event, and more importantly, he doesn't have an opponent. While it's hard to make up for the lost headlining spot at the now-dreary UFC Apex, the co-main event spot in London is certainly appealing.

Craig vs. Allen would be the perfect co-headliner for UFC London, marking 'Bearjew's middleweight debut.

Craig vs. Allen [Images via @paulcraig & @b_allen185 on Instagram]

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#1. Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane – UFC London main event

Tom Aspinall headlined both UFC events in London last year. In March 2022, he cruised to a sublime first-round submission victory over Alexander Volkov in his first main event. His luck turned sour just a few months later as he suffered an injury just 15 seconds into his headlining bout against Curtis Blaydes.

Aspinall has spent the last year rehabilitating his injury and looks set to return this summer. Another main event in London could be on the cards for the highly-touted English heavyweight.

The heavyweight division is in a weird place at the moment. Jon Jones, arguably the greatest of all time, currently holds the belt and is seemingly set to defend it against Stipe Miocic later this year. This could potentially be both fighters' last-ever outing, leaving the contenders below them in an awkward position.

Sergei Pavlovich is clearly the most deserving challenger for the title, with his scorching run of six straight first-round finishes. Tom Aspinall can certainly put himself in the title mix if he beats a top contender in his next fight. The most logical fight to make for the towering Brit is Ciryl Gane.

Gane is coming off his underwhelming display against Jones earlier this year, but still holds the No.1 spot in the division, making this potential matchup against Aspinall highly consequential.

A classic England vs. France headliner atop the UFC London card just seems right.

Gane vs. Aspinall [Images via @ciryl_gane & @tomaspinallofficial on Instagram]