The UFC is coming back to London and they’re bringing a title bout with them.

It has been confirmed that the UFC will return to the English capital for its annual March card in London, with the event set to be the biggest show hosted by the UFC in the UK in a long time — perhaps ever. The card, which will be a pay-per-view rather than a Fight Night event, is set to be topped by a world title bout, with all indications being that it will feature Leon Edwards’ first defence of the welterweight title against the man he took it from, Kamaru Usman.

It will be just the second time that the UFC has promoted a numbered event on English soil after UFC 204 in Manchester which was headlined by Michael Bisping’s middleweight title defence against Dan Henderson.

“Everyone knows how much I love our fans in the UK. We had two incredible shows in London in 2022, and this time we’re bringing a world title fight with the biggest and baddest card we could put together at The O2 on March 18,” said Dana White in a statement.

“The UK MMA scene is exploding with talent right now and I can’t wait to show you guys what we have in store for you next year.”

No fights have yet been confirmed, though it is expected that several of the UK’s UFC contingent will be on hand such as Molly McCann, Arnold Allen, Muhammad Mokaev and Nathaniel Wood.

It is unclear if Tom Aspinall will have recovered from his knee surgery in take to compete, while Paddy Pimblett has also expressed hesitation in a recent interview if he will be compete on the card.

A bout between Khamzat Chimaev and Colby Covington has also tentatively been linked to the card, though there has yet to be any firm developments with regard to that potential fight.