The UFC will finally return to London almost two years after its last visit to the O2 in July 2023, with a date now confirmed for the long-awaited event.

That night, Salford heavyweight star Tom Aspinall knocked out Polish fighter Marcin Tybura in just 73 seconds of the first round, in front of a raucous crowd of 15,000 on the field.

The 31-year-old backed that up with a quicker knockout in his rematch against Curtis Blaydes in Manchester in July, increasing calls for the Englishman to be given a shot at the UFC Heavyweight title against Jon Jones.

The UFC heads to London twice in 2023, with Leon Edwards beating Kamaru Usman by decision in the stacked card main event in March.

Now the franchise is preparing for its much-anticipated 18th visit to London, amid the growing popularity of mixed martial arts in Britain.

UFC returns to London two years after Tom Aspinall beat Marcin Tybura in the last event

The interim heavyweight champion followed up his win by knocking out Curtis Blaydes in Manchester in July.

Headline event sees Leon ‘Rocky’ Edwards thoroughly hammered for crashing party in Manchester

And the date was finally set as warriors flocked to the capital from around the world on March 22, 2025.

The UFC Europe X account posted: ‘London, we are back on PRIME TIME. Our return to #UFCLondon became official on Saturday 22 March.’

It has been confirmed that event tickets will be on general sale from January 24th.

There were only a few minutes left before the fighters began calling each other out for Fight Night; Among those touting a big match at the event was Liverpudlian fighter Paddy ‘Bad’ Pimblett.

Brazilian lightweight Renato Moicano said: ‘UFC London Main Event!? Moicano vs. Pimblett? What do you think!?’

Pimblett, 29, is on a remarkable eight-fight winning streak; Most recently, he defeated American King Green via triangle choke in the first round of what was dubbed the Performance of the Night in Manchester.

That event, UFC 304, drew 17,907 fans to the Co-op Live arena but faced criticism for its odd schedule, with preliminary fights starting at 11 p.m. and the main card at 3 a.m.

However, the card was awarded for entertainment purposes and just minutes after Pimblett’s thrilling victory, Aspinall dispatched Blaydes with a win that acted as atonement for the defeat he suffered against the American in 2022 due to a knee injury.

Paddy Pimblett was called up by Renato Moicano following his win in Manchester.

Meanwhile, Aspinall has his eye on heavyweight champion Jon Jones, who will fight this weekend.

Edwards lights up UFC 286 in London in March 2023 and will be looking to get back to those levels

The spectacle raised hopes of a possible fight with Jones, and Aspinall’s message to the American, who will fight Stipe Miocic this weekend, was simple: ‘Hi Jon. I have nothing against you personally, but I think I’m better than you.

‘If you think you’re the best heavyweight in the world, let’s make it that simple.’

Edwards, meanwhile, disappointed fans who were hopeful he would deliver a performance equal to his memorable wins over Usman in 2022 and 2023; Belal Muhammad won 11 consecutive victories and the ‘Rocky’ reign came to an end.

The cards showed 48-47, 48-47, 49-46, and Edwards tasted defeat for the first time in a decade.

Aspinall received a $50,000 bonus when she featured at the O2 for the last time in London, but home favorite Molly McCann suffered defeat against Lithuanian flyweight Julija Stoliarenko thanks to an armbar in the second minute of the fight.

Fans will be eagerly awaiting news on who will fight on the March card, but the UFC has yet to confirm any names.