Jimi Manuwa has been given an opportunity to headline a UFC event in his home country.

Light heavyweight Manuwa, the fifth ranked 205-pounder in the world, will take on the ninth ranked Corey Anderson in the main event of the UFC’s return to London in March, in a bout which was originally announced as a main card fight. The UFC had reportedly been struggling to fill the main event slot for the card and, with a little over 6 weeks to go until the event in London’s O2 Arena, they have moved to promote the fight to the top billing for the March 18th card.

Manuwa was last seen in the cage last October in Manchester, where the Londoner scythed through Ovince St. Preux via second round knockout last October in Manchester in his first fight in 13 months following a defeat to divisional challenger Anthony Johnson the previous September.

Anderson, now the owner of the brand new nickname ‘Overtime’, earned a second round stoppage of Sean O’Connell last month in Albany — rebounding from a close decision loss to Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua last May.

While this probably isn’t the marquee match-up that Londoners will have been hoping for to sit atop the March 18th card, the clash between Manuwa and Anderson is a competitive (and rankings relevant) clash at 205 pounds.

Elsewhere on the UFC’s return to London, Brad Pickett will retire following his bantamweight bout with Henry Briones, Leon Edwards takes on iron-fisted Vicente Luque and Joseph Duffy squares of with Sweden’s Reza Madadi.