Golden Generation of fighters ready to put British MMA on the map at UFC London

In the trademark words of the veteran voice of the Octagon, Bruce Buffer, "It's time!"

Almost three years to the day since London last hosted the UFC, the pinnacle of MMA rolls back into the capital on Saturday for the first overseas event of 2022.

The brightest British talent will have the chance to strut their stuff in front of a full house at the O2 Arena on Saturday, and it's a prime opportunity to put UK MMA on the map.

It was a mixed bag for the home fighters in 2019 when Liverpool's Darren Till headlined against Jorge Masvidal in the capital.

Till suffered a second-round KO loss to the hard-hitting American, however, Leon Edwards, Nathaniel Wood, Jack Marshman, Arnold Allen, Marc Diakiese, Molly McCann and Mike Grundy picked up wins.

Some of those faces return to London again this Saturday with Wood, Allen, McCann and Grundy in action.

The number 11 ranked heavyweight Tom Aspinall closes out the night this time around when he'll attempt to continue his remarkable rise up the division at the expense of sixth-ranked Alexander Volkov.

Aspinall is 4-0 since joining the UFC and is riding a seven-fight winning streak, with six of those coming via KO or TKO.

It'll certainly be interesting to see how he copes with topping the bill for the first time and how he handles the pressure of a vociferous crowd, albeit one which will be firmly behind him.

There's no doubting the quality of Aspinall, who is yet to compete in front of fans since joining the UFC due to the pandemic, and he's not your typical heavyweight who relies overwhelmingly on size and power.

Of course, he has both of those attributes in his locker but he also holds a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and is well versed in wrestling and Thai Boxing. Aspinall also sparred regularly with Tyson Fury in his early 20s, so it's no surprise he's earned nine impressive victories by KO/TKO in his 13 professional fights.

The Greater Manchester native is one of a hugely talented crop of stars to emerge from the UK over the past decade.

Former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping, who was the first British fighter to win a UFC belt, undoubtedly had plenty of influence over the new generation and they are now starting to flourish.

Bisping earned his stripes with Cage Warriors, winning the light heavyweight title before securing his future in the UFC via The Ultimate Fighter Series.

And it's only right that we put some respect on the Cage Warriors name for the way they've shaped and developed British fighters over the years.

The company, founded in 2002, is the leading light of UK-based MMA and has provided a launching pad for the likes of Bisping and Conor McGregor on the path to UFC gold.

This weekend's card boasts nine former Cage Warriors competitors and they all have the same ambition - glory at the highest level of the sport.

Paddy Pimblett falls firmly into that category and the exuberant Liverpudlian twice turned down approaches from the UFC to remain with Cage Warriors.

'The Baddy' sealed a KO win over Luigi Vendramini on his UFC debut in September but President Dana White had attempted to sign him back in 2016.

He was just 21 at the time and had beaten Julian Erosa to become the Cage Warriors featherweight champion. But Pimblett, now 27, opted to stay put to further grow his skillset before making the step up in 2021.

Looks can be deceiving and Pimblett's blonde mop hair-do has often seen him compared to Jay Cartwright from British sitcom The Inbetweeners.

The similarities, however, stop with the hair, and despite his jovial demeanour outside the Octagon, Pimblett is a serious threat when the door slams shut.

He has vowed to "blow the roof off" at the O2 and will need to follow through with that promise if he's to convince White to take the UFC to his spiritual home Anfield in the next few years.

Kazula Vargas is his opponent on Saturday and the 36-year-old lightweight isn't expected to pose too many problems for the fan favourite.

'Meatball' Molly McCann, who also spent time with Cage Warriors, isn't one to shy away from a scrap and you can guarantee she'll be trying to walk down Brazilian Luana Carolina at every opportunity in London.

Sporting headlines in the UK this week will understandably be dominated by the Cheltenham Festival, but UFC London can help to further establish British MMA if it proves to be a successful night for the home contingent.

UFC President White clearly recognises the potential, with only the USA and Abu Dhabi hosting events since the start of the pandemic and there's undoubtedly an appetite for more ticket sales with this weekend's card selling out in minutes.

There's never been a stock of fighters boasting so much talent at one time from these shores and this Golden Generation could help the domestic scene to explode over the next few decades.

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