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The UFC's much awaited return to London after three years takes place this weekend.
UFC London: Volkov vs. Aspinall is set to take place at the O2 Arena in London, England, on March 19. The event is likely to be headlined by an explosive heavyweight contest between England's own Tom Aspinall and Russian contender Alexander Volkov.
Although Volkov is currently scheduled to fight in London, there's uncertainty surrounding his participation at the event due to recent UK sanctions and bans on Russian athletes pertaining to the ongoing war in Ukraine. If Volkov is unable to compete, the UFC apparently has a replacement fighter ready to face Aspinall in what will be the Englishman's first main event scrap.
The event will be co-headlined by a featherweight clash between former lightweight contender Dan Hooker and Arnold Allen. This fight will mark 'The Hangman's return to 145lbs since fighting Jason Knight back in 2016. Allen, on the other hand, is on an incredible eight-fight win streak inside the octagon and would like to make a case for a title shot by beating Hooker.
Other fights on the main card include a lightweight matchup between highly-rated British prospect Paddy Pimblett and Rodrigo Vargas, a welterweight duel between Gunnar Nelson and Takashi Sato, a heavyweight bout between Shamil Abdurakhimov and Sergei Pavlovich, and a light heavyweight scrap between Nikita Krylov and Paul Craig.
What happened at UFC Vegas 50?
In the main event, Magomed Ankalaev outstruck Brazilian knockout artist Thiago Santos on his way to a unanimous decision victory. Judges scored the fight 49-46, 49-46, and 48-47 in favor of Ankalaev, who's now on an eight-fight winning streak inside the octagon.
Following the fight, the Dagestani fighter said he feels he deserves a title shot next.
In the co-main event, Chinese bantamweight contender Song Yadong picked up an emphatic first-round knockout win over Marlon Moraes. This was Moraes' fifth loss in his last six fights. Following the fight, Yadong called out former bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz.
