The UFC isn’t quite ready to officially announce a date for its return to London, but president Dana White had a message for the U.K. fans to get them primed and ready for the promotion’s imminent arrival.
Speaking to BT Sport in a wide-ranging interview, White lifted the lid on the promotion’s thoughts on a trip across the pond to England, and beyond, in 2022.
“I feel like a lot of this silliness is starting to go away, I think common sense is starting to prevail, finally, and I’m hoping that this year we’re gonna come to the U.K.,” he said.
“We are gonna go to other cities we haven’t been to in a long time. Hopefully (there will be) more out-of-the-country events, so I’m hoping that ‘22 is gonna be the year. I’m feeling it.”
To date, there has been no official announcement regarding the UFC’s return to London, but it is understood that the most likely date for a UFC event in the English capital is Saturday, March 19, with a notable gap in the schedule of the UFC’s go-to venue for London events, The O2 Arena, for that weekend.
And it seems it might not be long before the U.K. fans’ wait will come to an end.
“I hope (there will be an announcement) in the next couple of weeks,” White said.
“I’d like to announce in the next couple of weeks that we’re coming back to the U.K., that we’re gonna go to The O2 and put on a great show for you guys.
“And we’re also working on big things this year for the U.K. So I’m actually excited about the U.K.
“The U.K. is one of the territories that I’m really excited about. I haven’t been this excited about it since like 2003/4.”
The UFC’s last scheduled event in London was March 21, 2020, but that event was scrapped due to the increasing COVID-19 restrictions in England at the time, and the promotion hasn’t been in London since.
Prior to that canceled event, the most recent UFC event in London was way back in March 2019, when Jorge Masvidal stunned The O2 by knocking out Darren Till in the main event, then stunned Leon Edwards backstage with his now-infamous “three-piece and a soda.”
White ended his chat with BT Sport by reiterating his message to the fans – the UFC is coming.
“We will be coming to London,” he declared. We’re going to figure London out. We will come to London and we’ve got big things coming to the U.K. in the next couple of years, so I’m really excited about it.”