5 UK fighters in a UFC main event

With the second UFC London event now in the rearview mirror, UK fighters will now have to wait until next year to compete in front of home fans. While that may hurt their chances of competing in main events, an increasing number of competitors from the UK have gained that experience.

Obviously, the most recent main event in London was a disappointing one for UK fight fans as Tom Aspinall suffered a freak injury that led to a loss. However, that result might become a distant memory should Leon Edwards win his upcoming welterweight title bout against Kamaru Usman.

There are several other fighters from the UK who have had their chance to main event a UFC fight card, with each achieving differing levels of success. Here are five fighters from the UK who have competed in a main event.

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#5. Tom Aspinall - UFC heavyweight

Tom Aspinall's most recent performance may not have been one to remember, but up until that point, the start of his octagon career had been flawless. Aspinall only fought in the octagon four times prior to securing his first main event and has now headlined consecutive fight nights in London.

The first of those came in March of this year on what proved to be a very special occasion for UK MMA. A huge number of the hometown favorites produced incredible performances and Aspinall topped it off with a first-round submission win.

That win over Alexander Volkov saw him join the elites at heavyweight but sadly he was unable to repeat that performance against Curtis Blaydes. While the injury that led to his loss in that fight will likely keep him out of action for some time, don't be surprised if Aspinall competes in many more main events.

#4. Jimmy Manuwa - former UFC light heavyweight

Manuwa (right) went 1-1 in UFC main events

Jimmy Manuwa is another UK fighter who began his UFC career in incredibly impressive fashion. He joined the promotion with a perfect 11-0 record and then finished his first three opponents to earn his main event opportunity. He would finish his career with the promotion with two main events to his name.

The first of his two headline bouts came against Alexander Gustafsson at the O2 arena, putting his undefeated record on the line. He suffered his first defeat on that night but went on to earn another main event opportunity at the same venue, this time against Corey Anderson.

Manuwa won that bout via first-round KO, which earned him a title eliminator fight next time out. While he ultimately never fought for the gold, Manuwa played a big part in putting UK MMA on the map and was an incredibly dangerous striker at his best.

#3. Leon Edwards - UFC welterweight

Edwards is 2-0 (1 NC) in UFC main events

Leon Edwards was not a fighter who set the world on fire when he first entered the octagon. He lost in his promotional debut but has improved vastly in recent years and eventually earned his first main event in what was his 10th fight for the company.

That main event came against the legend Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone and saw Edwards win via unanimous decision. His next main event saw him defeat a former champion in Rafael dos Anjos whilst his most recent headline bout was a no contest against Belal Muhammad.

Despite that one recent blip, Edwards is now unbeaten in his last 10 bouts and has now earned a welterweight title shot against champion Kamaru Usman. That fight will be his fourth main event for the promotion and while he will likely have more beyond that, should he win, he could become a huge star in the sport.

#2. Darren Till - UFC middleweight

Till is currently 2-4 in UFC main events

Darren Till came into the UFC with a perfect 12-0 and went unbeaten in his first four octagon bouts to earn his first main event against Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone. He won that bout via TKO and went on to defeat Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson in another main event to earn a welterweight title opportunity.

That bout was a PPV main event against the champion Tyron Woodley, which he lost via submission. He's competed in three main events since, all were losing efforts, against Jorge Masvidal, Robert Whittaker, and Derek Brunson. The latter two coming after he moved up in weight class to middleweight.

Having lost two straight and four of his last five, Till's next bout will be a very important one for his career. While things may not be looking great at the moment, he's still only 29 years old and could very well turn things around before all is said and done.

#1. Michael Bisping - former UFC middleweight

Michael Bisping entered the promotion off the back of winning season three of The Ultimate Fighter. After winning that competition, Bisping had to go through 13 bouts inside the octagon to get his first main event. He got his first headline bout against Jason Miller and won the fight via TKO.

Bisping would then lose three of his next four main events, dropping results to Vitor Belfort, Tim Kennedy, and Luke Rockhold. However, he then went on a winning spree in headline bouts, including wins over Anderson Silva and then a title-winning performance against Rockhold.

Bisping would then successfully defend his title against Dan Henderson to earn himself a super-fight against Georges St-Pierre. He lost that bout and was forced to retire after another loss to Kelvin Gastelum. However, his legacy is secure as the first UK fighter ever to win UFC gold.