UFC Unveils Massive London Card With 2 Former Champs Returning

UFC London is official for March 22 at the O2 Arena, as are its strong main and co-main event fights.

Dana White and Co. have put together a card that should have the local UFC fans buzzing. The UFC recently announced former champion Leon Edwards’ return to the Octagon, as he will face Jack Della Maddalena in the main event.

Edwards will be making his first appearance since losing his UFC welterweight championship to Belal Muhammad in July 2024 at UFC 304. Edwards comes into the fight ranked No. 1 in the division, and he’ll have the home crowd at the O2 Arena behind him.

Della Maddalena has been out of action even longer than Edwards. The 28-year-old from Australia last fought in March 2024 at UFC 299, where he scored a TKO victory over Gilbert Burns.

Della Maddalena comes in ranked No. 4, behind the champion Muhammad, Edwards, No. 2 Kamaru Usman, and No. 3 Shavkat Rakhmonov. A win for Della Maddalena would position him for the next title shot after Muhammad faces Rakhmonov.

That fight was scheduled to happen in December at UFC 310, but Muhammad was forced to withdraw because of injury. Rakhmonov stayed on the card and defeated Ian Machado Garry to solidify his spot in the Top 3 of the welterweight division.

It seems possible Usman may ultimately wind up clashing with No. 5 Sean Brady at some point.

The co-main event is another fight with potential championship opportunities hanging in the balance. No. 4 Jan Błachowicz returns from a near-two-year absence to face the fast-rising light heavyweight prospect, No. 6 Carlos Ulberg.

Błachowicz’s last fight was a split-decision loss to Alex Pereira in March 2023 at UFC 291. Injuries have kept the former champion out of action, but he wants another shot at Pereira. The 41-year-old will have to battle his way past Ulberg to get there.

Ulberg is on a seven-fight win streak, having earned a unanimous decision win over Volkan Oezdemir in November 2024. A win by either man could put them on a path to a title shot.

If Pereira moves up to heavyweight following his March 8 clash with Magomed Ankalaev, the winner of Błachowicz-Ulberg could make a strong case to be the man fighting for the vacant title or as Ankalaev’s opponent—if he pulls the upset.

In any case, the London main and co-main events are especially strong considering UFC London is a Fight Night card and not a pay-per-view.

Here is a look at the parts of the card shared by the UFC on social media.