Brits are back: 5 matchups to follow as U.K. fighters take over UFC ‘Fight Island’

MMA Junkie’s resident Brit, Simon Head, takes a look at five key matchups involving U.K.-based fighters on the UFC’s “Fight Island.”

Nicolas Dalby vs. Danny Roberts, July 25

While preparing for the UFC’s March event in London, one fight leapt off the bout sheet. The clash between Denmark’s former Cage Warriors welterweight champion [autotag]Nicolas Dalby[/autotag] and English striker [autotag]Danny Roberts[/autotag] screamed “Fight of the Night” at the time, and the welterweight clash, which opens the main card on the final “Fight Island” card on July 25, looks ideally placed to live up to its promise, four months removed from its original booking.

Roberts (17-5 MMA, 6-4 UFC) always seems to find himself in a tear-up, and the striking stylist has repeatedly demonstrated both his toughness and his ability to turn out the lights on his opponents in spectacular fashion. His stunning one-punch knockout Zelim Imadaev at UFC on ESPN+ 21 last November was a carbon copy of his starching of Oliver Enkamp in London at UFC Fight Night 127 a year earlier.

On July 25, Roberts will be taking on the sort of fighter who will bring out the best in him. Dalby (18-3-1 MMA, 2-3-1 UFC) has built a well-earned reputation for a man who thrives in the trenches, and never seems to take a backward step in his fights.

After a hat-trick of consecutive losses saw him cut from the UFC, Dalby returned to Cage Warriors and captured the interim welterweight strap before earning his second stint on the big stage. He returned on home soil in Copenhagen and picked up an emotional win against Alex Oliveira at UFC on ESPN+ 18.

Now he’ll face Roberts in a bout that has the potential to steal the show on July 25.

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Next up: British bantamweight star welcomes an undefeated Russian to the octagon

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