If you're a fan of the UFC and want to see some of the top English fighters in action, this weekend's London show is a must-see. Although England has had many stars in the sport over the years, there has been only one champion from England - Michael Bisping who defeated Luke Rockhold last season. This weekend's UFC action will feature a variety of promising English prospects.
Darren Till
Darren Till from the United Kingdom is a 24 year-old Liverpudlian who is currently training in Phuket to prepare for his UFC 282 against Dricus du Pllessis bout. The fight is set for December 10, Las Vegas. Till has a record in UFC fights of 5-1, but Till's journey to the UFC wasn't exactly straight. First, he was called up to the United Kingdom for a promotion. Then, he moved to Brazil at the suggestion of his coach.
Darren Hardy
UFC boasts a variety of talented fighters from Britain. Darren Hardy is one such top. He won the middleweight title in 2011 and has won four straight fights. He is not new to MMA and has trained in the U.S. prior to joining the UFC.
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Many British fighters have made it to the UFC stage. Michael Bisping, a Manchester native, made his name on UFC's TUF 3 TV show. The MMA superstar went on to win the title three times and exploded into stardom in his home country. He won the UFC middleweight title, and he cemented his place as one of world's top fighters.
McCann
McCann, a friend and mentor to MMA fighters, has overcome poverty and drug addiction in the family to become an English woman who won a UFC bout. McCann trains at Next Generation MMA Gym in Liverpool, England. Both fighters consider themselves ambassadors for their city. McCann joined UFC after she won the Cage Warriors title in McCann's final fight.
One-Punch
Brad Pickett has been a well-known MMA champion in England. He is a former British Featherweight Champion ('Cage Rage'). His fast strikes and unpredictability are what make Pickett so popular. He started his career as a boxer before moving to the UFC in 2011. This allowed him to build strength and he was able to land strikes quickly. He was invited to Wellingborough ABC. In the first round, he won by TKO.
Leon Edwards
Leon Edwards, a UFC fighter ranked number one in the world, is an example of this. He was born in Jamaica. His family moved to England when Edwards was young. His father was a gangster and part of the organised crime community. When he was 13 years old, his father was shot and killed. Leon's mother had to be his sole mother and he began getting into trouble and engaging in violent fights.
Craig
Craig is an English mixed martial artist who has been successful in his native country. The 33-year old is currently undefeated after four fights. He also received the Performance of the Night bonus six times. He will be fighting Nikita Krylov during Fight Night this Saturday.
Tom Aspinall
UFC signed Tom Aspinall, an English-based MMA fighter. He is coming off a great start to his career with four wins in his first fights. He also earned hat-tricks of performance bonuses and has jumped up the heavyweight rankings. In his next fight, he will take on Alexander Volkov. The win would put him within one win of a title shot.