The UFC is back in London as of March 19th, 2022 at the O2 Arena.
The last UFC event at The O2 Arena was a Fight Night event on March 16, 2019, between Jorge Masvidal and Darren Till.
The promotion planned to return on March 21, 2020, but the slated Leon Edwards vs Tyron Woodley matchup was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
And now, after 3 years, London will be hosting the UFC again, at UFC Fight Night 204 and by all accounts it will see Gunnar Nelson vs Claudio Silva. That announcement came courtesy of @phre on Twitter:
Per sources, Iceland's finest Gunnar Nelson returns to action after inking a new multi-fight deal with the UFC, as he clashes against Brazilian welterweight Claudio Silva at #UFCLondon, on March 19
Match not official yet, but that's the promotion's plan, I'm told. pic.twitter.com/RTq6GUgKLu
— Friendly Neighborhood Spaghetti-Man (@phre) January 24, 2022
Nelson, 33, (17-5 MMA) has not fought in almost three years due to injuries. After signing a multi-fight deal with the UFC, he will be back in the Octagon to face Claudio Silva in the welterweight division.
Silva, 39, (14-3 MMA) is coming off two losses, against Court McGee and James Krause, the most recent match in May of 2021. Prior to those losses Silva had five straight wins in the UFC.
UFC London will also feature a featherweight bout between Arnold Allen and Dan Hooker on the fight card.
Allen, 28, (17-1 MMA), is returning to the Octagon for the first time since defeating Sodig Yusuff in April 2021 at UFC Vegas 23.
Hooker, 31, (21-11 MMA), recently suffered defeats in three of his last four bouts at lightweight, dropping bouts to Islam Makhachev, Michael Chandler and Dustin Poirier. Now back in the featherweight category, he’s hoping to defeat Allen.
The London card will be headlined by heavyweights Tom Aspinall, (11-2 MMA) and Alexander Volkov (34-9 MMA).
Which matchups will you be watching at UFC Fight Night 204? What are your predictions? Share your thoughts in the comment section PENN Nation!