British UFC cards have long showcased the best MMA talent from these shores and those striving to make a name for themselves with breakout performances.
Saturday night is no different and a packed O2 Arena will be roaring on 10 home fighters at various stages of their careers.
Leon Edwards, the second ever Brit to have a UFC belt around his waist, headlines against Sean Brady and is supported by his compatriots across the pre-lims and main card.
‘Meatball’ Molly McCann will be desperate to light up the arena with the kind of viral finishes she mustered back in 2022.
There’s an England vs Scotland showdown, heavyweight barnburner and brilliant main card curtain-raiser featuring rising French star Morgan Charriere taking on local lad Nathaniel Wood.
Here, Mail Sport runs you through the Brits in action and takes a look at the key storylines ahead of Saturday night’s action.
Leon Edwards vs Sean Brady
The biggie at the top of the card needs very little introduction. Edwards will be given a huge reception as he bids to recalibrate his career having tasted defeat by Belal Muhammad in Manchester last year.
It was his first loss in a decade and a timely reminder of his class against the powerful American is likely to stick him right in line for a shot at his old belt.
Complacency and a mad start time at 5am have been pinpointed as the reasons for his defeat last July and it will be fascinating to see if the performance was the first sign of a general decline or just a rough night at the office.
Bookies have ‘Rocky’ as an underdog, which could offer great value to those fancying a punt this weekend.
He’s 33 and should have miles left on the clock but this looks a really competitive match-up and massive opportunity for Brady in enemy territory.
Molly McCann vs Alexia Thainara
Three years ago, ‘Meatball’ delivered not one but two incredible spinning-elbow finishes at the same venue.
How the fan favourite could do with some of that magic now. It has been a difficult run of form since that golden summer, with three defeats in her last four outings.
Molly McCann’s last outing in Manchester was a painful one that ended in defeat
‘Meatball’ has spoken about taking more time for self care outside of the cage
A move down to strawweight started brilliantly after McCann submitted Diana Belbiţă in Las Vegas last February.
It was the Evertonian’s first ever victory with the jiu-jitsu skills she has been working ferociously hard on.
But then Bruna Brasil out-pointed her in Manchester last summer in a punishing display of vicious kicking.
‘Meatball’ recently admitted her past few months have been a struggle but is making time for herself both mentally and physically.
‘I’ve had to start giving Sunday to myself as a self-care day,’ the 34-year-old told BBC 1Xtra. ‘I would have therapy in the morning, process that, walk the dogs and at night meditate, massage or go for a swim, just to get away from it.’
She also bought a house in rural Scotland where she spent Christmas, helping escape the intense world of being an elite UFC fighter and the attention that bestows.
With a full training camp under her belt, it looked like last-week disaster when opponent Istela Nunes pulled out injured.
Fortunately the UFC arranged a short-notice replacement and another Brazilian Alexia Thainara is stepping in. McCann is third fight on the main card and an emphatic victory, perhaps aided by her more Zen approach to life outside the cage, would be one of the most popular of the night.
The Liverpool fighter is aiming to bounce back to winning ways this Saturday night
Jordan Vucenic vs Chris Duncan
The Calcutta Cup of the octagon… sort of. Duncan heads south of the border as a considerable underdog and the stats here outline the kind of fight it’s likely to be.
Vucenic averages 15 minutes in the cage, is calculated with an adept defence and composed striking, whereas his Scottish opponent tends to be the aggressor, particularly early on.
You could also call this one the tattoo derby, with both men among the more heavily inked fighters in the UFC.
Jordan Vucenic had Bruce Buffer’s face tattooed on his leg after making his UFC debut
The Englishman’s battle with Scottish rival Chris Duncan is shaping up to be a great contest
It will be Scotland vs England in the octagon on Saturday as Chris Duncan takes centre stage
Vucenic even had a new design of Bruce Buffer announcing him put on his leg after making his UFC debut last summer, even though it unfortunately ended in a decision defeat.
The former Cage Warriors standout is highly rated but faces a man in form who loves a Braveheart-inspired face-paint face-off at the ceremonial weigh-ins.
This Battle of Britain is definitely one to watch and the winning lightweight will have the top 15 in their sights.
Nathaniel Wood vs Morgan Charriere
‘The Last Pirate’ is sailing across the channel for a pop at the only local lad on the card, Nat Wood.
Charriere has a massive following in France and is 2-1 so far in the UFC – no doubt plenty of his fans will make the trip but their cheers will be drowned out by the pop for Wood.
The Londoner has won four of his last five and is thriving at featherweight. It feels like a crossroads kind of fight for both men.
The top 15 beckons for the winner and Charriere feels like the kind of fighter who would be rapidly moved up given his exciting style and popularity.
Nathaniel Wood (right) has been on an impressive run of form since moving to featherweight
Morgan Charriere is a rising French star coming to upset the home crowd in London
Wood has been open about his battle with OCD and anxiety recently told the UFC he struggled in the lead-up to his last fight in Manchester.
His daughter Arla has a hole in her heart but is now doing well and living normally ahead of an operation further down the line. Her father is also thriving and said: ‘The trick of being in London, in my hometown, is that I can focus purely on the fight.
‘I have no exterior worries going on about what’s going on at home. When I fight in London, with that crowd, I feel like there’s too many people here for me to let them down.
‘I feel like when I fight, I’m fighting for 20,000 people.’
Jai Herbert vs Chris Padilla
‘The Black Country Banger’ is back in familiar territory having showcased his skills in London six times in his career (four in the UFC).
Herbert is always entertaining and schooled Ilia Topuria for two rounds before suffering a heavy KO in the third round three years ago.
He has so much talent but never managed to quite string a run of victories together at the very top level. At 36, it feels like the time has to be now and Saturday’s opponent is a man seven years his junior.
Jai Herbert (right) is one of the more entertaining fighters in the UFC and is in familiar territory
Padilla is a Californian with a bright future and has won his first couple of fights since signing for the UFC.
This one looks likely to be a potential Fight of the Night Contender. Padilla has 10 first round finishes, eight wins by KO and five by submission. Herbert will take a punch to land one and that should be the perfect cocktail for a thriller.
Lone’er Kavanagh vs Felipe dos Santos
There’s a huge amount of excitement around Kavanagh, the undefeated English flyweight making his second appearance in the UFC.
He packs a punch at the weight and at Great Britain Top Team is described as being pound-for-pound the most powerful guy in the gym.
A graduate of Dana White’s Contender Series, he is capable of spectacular finishes and will be looking to put away Brazilian opponent Felipe dos Santos.
Lone’er Kavanagh (above) is looking to move to 9-0 with victory over Felipe dos Santos
Dos Santos regularly trains with Charles Oliveira in Brazil and sees his likely route to victory being on the ground.
If he’s even half the submission artist Do Brox is then Kavanagh will be determined to keep the fight vertical at all costs.
Marcin Tybura vs Mick Parkin
Mick Parkin would be one of the most popular winners on Saturday night.
The heavyweight is undefeated and coming off a Performance of the Night bonus KO in Manchester last summer.
No doubt plenty of fans from Wearside will be making the trek south from Sunderland to support their man but he faces the stiffest test of his career so far.
Tybura is ranked eighth and has been in with some of the elite of the division. No doubt Parkin would leapfrog him into the top 10 with a win and it would be a brilliant stage to announce himself as a real contender.
Tom Aspinall is already flying the flag for the English heavyweights at the summit of the division and we’ll soon find out if Parkin can reach those kinds of levels.
Mick Parkin (left) is yet to taste defeat in his professional career and is eyeing a top 10 spot
Christian Leroy Duncan vs Andrey Pulyaev
Gregory Rodrigues put an end to a two-fight winning streak for CLD in his last appearance but the ex-Cage Warriors champ has the chance to bounce back this weekend.
The middleweight was dominated in a unanimous decision defeat and he’ll be desperate to show more.
Pulyaev is another Contender Series graduate on the card and it would be a major feather in his cap if he was to announce himself with a win in enemy territory here to extend his record to 10-2.
Christian Leroy Duncan (right) suffered the first major setback of his UFC career last summer
Nathan Fletcher vs Caolan Loughran
This is a rematch seven years in the making. Fletcher beat Loughran as during their amateur days but they’ve both come on leaps and bounds since then.
This England vs Ireland battle is the second fight on the card but fans should take their seats nice and early to enjoy this one.
Fletcher is riding high with three successive wins, while Loughran’s performances have been more of a mixed back with a 1-2 record on the big stage.
Loughran had to forego St Patrick’s Day celebrations and will hope his restraint is worth it after his revenge mission.
