The latest chapter in Paddy Pimblett’s developing career in the Octagon won’t come this March in London. 

Pimblett, who had previously suggested that he expected the majority of his upcoming fights to take place on US pay-per-view events, had been linked to a return to the Octagon at the UFC’s traditional March card in London but an ankle injury sustained in his previous fight, a lacklustre performance against Jared Gordon, appears to have nixed the idea.

Conventional logic suggested that a home country outing in front of a sympathetic audience would serve to reestablish Pimblett’s rise at 155-pounds after his controversial decision win against Gordon last year.

But according to a doctor who examined Pimblett’s ankle (as shown on Pimblett’s YouTube channel), his injury requires surgery which will most likely take place in March — the same month as the UFC’s return to London.

“Looks like you have got a small amount of cartilage, the other thing you’ve got is all this white stuff around here, that’s all fluid and what all the swelling is,” the doc says. ” When we look at the ligaments which joins from your fibula, you’ve probably got what we call a grade two injury.”

Pimblett had been linked to a fight with Terrence McKinney on the card but it seems that this particularly test will have to wait, if indeed that is the direction that UFC matchmakers opt to go for.

The Scouser’s absence is another blow to the card for which UFC president Dana White promised to be the biggest event the promotion has ever held on UK soil. In addition to Pimblett, Molly McCann is also ruled out as is (almost certainly) Tom Aspinall.

There is good news though; it is looking like Kamaru Usman might be fit to take on Leon Edwards in the main event, as is speculated, while moves are also being made for a lightweight showdown between Justin Gaethje and Rafael Fiziev.