The UFC was scheduled to make its 12th trip to London on Saturday before the event was canceled due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Rising welterweight star and England’s own Leon Edwards was set to face former UFC 170-pound champion Tyron Woodley in the UFC on ESPN+ 29 main event, looking to emerge as a title contender.
It would have been the latest in a series of memorable U.K. events dating back to UFC 38, which headlined by a matchup between then UFC welterweight champ Matt Hughes, and Carlos Newton, which took place in London on July 13, 2002, at the Royal Albert Hall.
And throughout the years, plenty of English fighters got the opportunity to headline cards at home, putting on memorable performances in front of a sold out O2 Arena.
With the cancellation of the event, we take a look at some of the best moments in the British capital. From big knockouts, to crowd silencers, and historical moments, here are the top five UFC London moments.
5. Home run: Dan Hardy knocks out Rory Markham
Dan Hardy reacts following his knockout win at UFC 146 in 2012. (USA TODAY Sports)
One of the greatest fighters to ever come out of the U.K. was Nottingham’s Dan Hardy. Sporting his patented red mohawk, Hardy entered the UFC with quite a bit of experience under his belt.
In his second UFC fight, Hardy was matched up with hard-hitting welterweight, Rory Markham, who has never gone the distance in his career. After going to a split decision in his promotional debut, Hardy was set on showing off his power, predicting a knockout over Markham.
And he didn’t disappoint.
With Markham pressing forward, Hardy was looking to time the counter and it didn’t take long for him to connect, as just over a minute into the fight, Hardy tagged Markham with a counter left that sat him into the canvas. Hardy wasn’t happy with Markham’s comments that he didn’t have knockout power, and he made sure to make him pay.
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