The UFC is bringing a pay-per-view to the U.K. in 2023.
The promotion announced on Wednesday that UFC 286 will take place March 18 at The O2 in London.
No fights were included in the announcement, but the expectation long has been that a trilogy between UFC welterweight champion [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] and [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] will headline.
UFC president Dana White had openly discussed the potential of doing a stadium show in the U.K., but the promotion ultimately settled on a return to The O2.
The UFC held two events at The O2 in 2022 – UFC Fight Night 204 in March and UFC Fight Night 208 in July – to rousing fanfare after the promotion held off on traveling to the U.K. during the COVID-19 pandemic.
UFC 286 will mark the first UFC pay-per-view in the U.K. since UFC 204 on Oct. 8, 2016, when Michael Bisping successfully defended his middleweight title in the headliner at Manchester Arena in Manchester, England.
UFC 286 will be the first pay-per-view in London since UFC 120 on Oct. 16, 2010, also at The O2. That night, Bisping defeated Yoshihiro Akiyama by unanimous decision in the main event.
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