UFC will return to London as huge O2 Arena show booked for March 2017… could Michael Bisping headline again?
Tickets for February's show this year in London sold out in 27 minutes, such is the growing popularity of the sport in the UK
UFC is coming back to London.
Following the hugely successful show at the O2 Arena in February this year that saw homegrown hero Michael Bisping defeat Anderson Silva, fight fans are set to be treated again.
The event will once again take place at the O2, penned in for Saturday, March 18 next year.
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Such is the growing popularity of UFC in the UK, the Bisping vs Silva show sold out in less than 27 minutes.
Tickets for UFC Fight Night London will go on sale on January 27, and there is expected to be a similar surge to snap them up.
James Elliott, vice president and general manager of UFC EMEA, said: "The UK, and in particular London, is an incredibly important market for us. Time and time again we return to the UK and we are blown away by the enthusiasm and support from the fans.
"Never has there been a better time for mixed martial arts in this region. The UK has its first ever world champion and we have an extremely exciting pool of talented young British athletes looking to make names for themselves on the international stage.
"What better way to kick off 2017 than with a return to The O2 in London?"
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No fewer than five UFC events have been hosted in Europe this year, with a sixth set to take place in Belfast, Northern Ireland on November 19. Two of those six events took place in the UK, as UFC’s fan base continues to grow at a phenomenal rate in the region.
UFC Fight Night London will kick start the organisation’s 2017 European events calendar, with more events set to be announced in the coming months.
The growing popularity of mixed martial arts in the UK is something which has undoubtedly been fuelled by the success of athletes such as Michael "The Count" Bisping, a pioneer of MMA in the UK who this year became Britain’s very first UFC world champion.
As the popularity of the sport in Britain continues to grow, so too does the demand from fans for live events.