It’s not even booked yet and it might be the hottest rematch on the UFC calendar. Speaking to the press at this week’s Contender Series event, UFC president Dana White discussed how he’s already looking at “every venue in England” to book the trilogy fight between freshly minted welterweight champion Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman. “This thing is going to be so huge, not just for the U.K. but for Europe.
We would hold it prime time in the U.K. We’re looking at every option out there right now. We’re looking at all the venues in England. Not just London, we’re looking at every venue in England. We’re looking at everything. There’s a lot of curfews and things you gotta deal with in England but we literally worked on that today.
Dana White Looking at “Every Venue in England” for Usman vs Edwards 3
We put a fight night on at the O2 [Arena] and it sells out in minutes. Imagine what we can do with this thing. It’s gonna be massive over there. We weren’t planning on going to England again. Just like last time I left England.”
Dana White has already indicated interest in England’s Wembley Stadium, but expressed dismay at Wembley’s vulnerability to the UK’s infamously volatile weather.
The UFC has been to London twice already in 2022, heavily promoting a popular crop of young, exciting British fighters. The likes of Paddy Pimblett, Tom Aspinall, Molly McCann, and relative veterans like Darren Till are firm local favorites in the British Isles. With that in mind, all eyes are on Usman and Edwards, who suffered a thunderous knockout loss at UFC 278 on the weekend, and his timeline for a return to competition.
White spoke with Usman recently, and offered an update on his recovery. “We talked, he’s in great spirits.
Obviously, he wants the rematch bad but he said, ‘I can’t tell you the weight that’s been lifted off me.’ You know, there’s a lot of pressure that goes along with the run that he was on, tying and breaking Anderson [Silva’s] record, all that stuff, there’s a lot of pressure.
He’s looking forward to the rematch and I saw Leon today, too. That kid’s walking on water and couldn’t be higher than he is right now.
He’s down, he’s ready to defend. He’s ready to take on whatever it is. He’s going on a whirlwind media tour when he goes home. A lot of stuff changes when you get that belt. His whole world’s about to change in the next few weeks but he’s ready for it.”
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