It seems weird that the last time the UFC touched down in London was the night Jorge Masvidal knocked out Darren Till and then added “three piece and a soda” to the MMA lexicon backstage.
So much has happened in the interim, making that evening feel like eons ago, not three years. But now here we are, dare I say returning to some semblance of normalcy, with the UFC venturing across the pond in mid-March like the days of old for a jam-packed card loaded with outstanding talents from Britain and elsewhere.
The last time the octagon sat in the center of The O2 Arena was a memorable night in many ways, and I’m guessing this Saturday will be the same.
Here’s a look at what’s on tap for the preliminary card of UFC Fight Night 204.
Jai Herbert vs. Ilia Topuria
British veteran Jai Herbert (11-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC) makes his first UFC appearance on home soil this weekend as he welcomes unbeaten prospect Ilia Topuria (11-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC)to the lightweight division.
After dropping his first two fights in the UFC to talented Brazilian veterans Francisco Trinaldo and Renato Moicano, Herbert finally got into the win column last time out, sparking Khama Worthy midway through the opening round of their October clash in Las Vegas. The former Cage Warriors lightweight champion has earned finishes in all but one of his 11 career wins and will have the partisan crowd on his side as he squares off with Topuria this weekend.
Unbeaten in 11 professional bouts, including three UFC appearances, Topuria moves up to the lightweight division after medical issues stemming from his weight cut forced him out of a pairing with Charles Jourdain earlier this year. Topuria, who is of Georgian descent and resides in Alicante, Spain, possesses a wealth of skills and finishing abilities, though it will be interesting to see if all that carries over now that he’s competing up a division.
With Herbert riding high off his victory last fall and Topuria looking to prove he’s still as dangerous and dynamic at lightweight as he was in the featherweight division, this should be an all-action affair to close out the preliminary card on Saturday evening.
Jack Shore vs. Timur Valiev
The 27-year-old Jack Shore (15-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) is 15-0 as a pro, with his last four victories coming inside the UFC octagon. He earned finishes in 12 of his first 13 fights won and defended the Cage Warriors bantamweight title and enters Saturday’s clash with Timur Valiev (18-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) with a pristine 27-0 mark across his amateur and pro career.
Valiev initially lost his promotional debut to Trevin Jones, but the fight was later deemed a no contest, putting the 32-year-old Russian back on an unbeaten streak that stands at nine heading into this one. He’s followed up that bout with Jones with consecutive decision wins over Martin Day and Raoni Barcelos, and he has all the tools to potentially hand Shore the first defeat of his career.
There is no more competitive division in the UFC than bantamweight at the moment, and this fight helps illustrate that fact. Each of these men has the talent to be top-15 fighters and would arguably be there in a more shallow weight class, but as it stands, they’re batting on Saturday for a chance to move closer to cracking the rankings.
This should be a scramble-heavy, closely-fought contest that provides a little more clarity about where each man fits within the divisional hierarchy at the moment and what to expect from each over the next 18 months.
Molly McCann vs. Luana Carolina
Fan favorite Molly McCann (11-4 MMA, 4-3 UFC) steps into the octagon searching for a second consecutive victory on Saturday, while Luana Carolina (8-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) has designs on pushing her winning streak to three at the Liverpool native’s expense.
It’s been an up-and-down go of things for McCann since migrating to the UFC from Cage Warriors. After losing her debut, she rattled off three straight victories but then dropped consecutive decisions to Taila Santos and Lara Procopio. She got back into the win column with a hard-fought victory over Ji Yeon Kim last time out and looks to build off that result this weekend in London.
Carolina lost her first professional fight and then won six straight, including her promotional debut at UFC 237 before having her winning streak – and nearly her leg – snapped by Ariane Lipski two summers back. Since then, Dread has secured decision wins over Poliana Botelho and Loopy Godinez to move to 8-2 overall, and aims to spoil McCann’s return to British soil on Saturday.
Will “Meatball Molly” give the fans at The O2 Arena something to get fired up about or will the progressing Brazilian put a damper on their celebrations instead?
Muhammad Mokaev vs. Cody Durden
One of the top prospects in all of MMA makes his UFC debut in this one, as unbeaten flyweight Muhammad Mokaev (5-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC( steps into the octagon for the first time to take on Cody Durden (12-3-1 MMA, 1-1-1 UFC).
A multi-time world champion during his outstanding amateur career, Mokaev has maintained his unbeaten record since transitioning to the professional ranks, posting six victories and one no contest verdict in seven starts. A standout wrestler with sharp hands, the 21-year-old from Dagestan, who resides in Wigan and trains in Manchester, is one of the most promising new arrivals to touch down in the UFC in years.
Durden has gone 1-1-1 in three UFC starts, opening his career with a draw at bantamweight against Chris Gutierrez and followed by a quick submission loss to Jimmy Flick before getting into the win column time out. He out-dueled Chinese banger Aoriqileng in November, fighting for the first time in nearly a year, and should be a good initial test for Mokaev on Saturday.
Despite this being his promotional debut, this is a high-pressure assignment for the young newcomer, who has been heralded as a future champion since his amateur days and now finally steps onto the big stage. Durden is a scrappy, experienced veteran who would love to spoil Mokaev’s debut, so it’ll be on the UFC freshman to validate the hype and rise to the occasion.
Mike Grundy vs. Makwan Amirkhani
It should be a wrestling-heavy affair in the featherweight division when Mike Grundy (12-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC) and Makwan Amirkhani (16-7 MMA, 6-5 UFC) step into the octagon on Saturday.
The 35-year-old Grundy represented England internationally in freestyle wrestling for a number of years, winning a bronze medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. He’s 12-3 overall in his mixed martial arts career but comes into this one on a two-fight slide, having dropped back-to-back decisions to Movsar Evloev and Lando Vannata.
Amirkhani literally kicked off his career in spectacular fashion, earning an eight-second stoppage win over Andy Ogle in Sweden, but that was seven years ago, and he’s been inconsistent since. The 33-year-old is 5-5 over his last 10 starts but has dropped three straight and four of his last five heading into this one, often starting quickly, but fading once the action hits the second round.
Cory McKenna vs. Elise Reed
Dana White’s Contender Series grad Cory McKenna (6-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) finally makes her sophomore appearance in the octagon, welcoming fellow sophomore Elise Reed (4-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) to the London this weekend.
McKenna earned her UFC deal with a unanimous decision win over Vanessa Demopoulos in the summer of 2020, then quickly turned around and collected a similar result against Kay Hansen in her promotional debut. She’s been out of action since, but the 22-year-old Welsh grappler has been working extensively with the crew at Team Alpha Male and looks to rekindle the momentum with a return to the United Kingdom on Saturday.
Reed won the CFFC strawweight title with a victory over Jasmine Jasudavicius in her second pro fight, then successfully defended the belt twice before getting called up to the UFC. She made her debut up a division against SIjara Eubanks and was completely out-muscled, but a return to the 115-pound weight class and a more even pairing with McKenna should provide her with a better opportunity to secure her first win.
Both women are at their strongest in the grappling realm, so expect a scramble-heavy affair with lots of battling for position in the clinch and on the canvas once things get underway in this one.
Nathaniel Wood vs. Vince Morales
The crowd at The O2 should be in full throat to start the night as Morden man Nathaniel Wood (17-5 MMA 4-2 UFC) makes his return to action, stepping in against Vince Morales (11-5 MMA, 3-3 UFC) in Saturday night’s opener.
Another former Cage Warriors champion competing this weekend, Wood rocketed out of the gate with three straight submission wins to start his UFC career before running afoul of John Dodson. He bounced back with a win over John Castaneda, but then dropped a decision to Casey Kenney in his third bout of 2020 and has been out of action since due to various injuries.
The 31-year-old Morales struggled upon arriving in the UFC, losing three of his first four as part of a tough stretch where he went just 2-4 in six fights. Since then, however, Vandetta, who now lives in Las Vegas and trains at Syndicate MMA, has earned back-to-back victories, most recently scoring a knockout win against Louis Smolka in December.
This should be an electric encounter to start the evening as Wood looks to make up for lost time and kickstart another push towards the rankings, while Morales aims to ruin his homecoming and add another victory to his resume across the pond.
This story first published at UFC.com.
