London, Manchester, Nottingham, Glasgow, Belfast, Birmingham and Newcastle. These cities have hosted twenty-two UFC events between them, with Liverpool being a major absentee from this list.
Not for much longer! The promotional giants head to the North West on bank holiday weekend, with local superstar Darren Till taking on #1 ranked welterweight Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson in a blockbuster main event, which is a definite must-watch.
The main event was under major threat after the Liverpudlian missed weight, tipping the scales at 174.5lbs, in excess of 3lbs over the 171lb non-title welterweight limit. Till had originally missed the two-hour window for the weigh ins, before a UFC official announced that due to a family emergency, Till would be allowed an additional hour to weigh in.
His American opponent had earlier weighed in at 171lbs, leaving it up to Thompson and his team as to whether they would agree to the fight. After a couple of hours of deliberation, Thompson’s team accepted the fight, the compromise being that Till forfeits 30% of his purse straight to his opponent and the Liverpudlian not weighing more than 188lbs at 1PM on fight day.
For someone who claims to weigh around 210lbs on fight day, the fact that Till will either not rehydrate fully, or have to cut weight again this evening could prove a huge factor across the fight, especially on the undefeated prospect’s cardio to go five rounds. You have to give praise to Thompson, as he could’ve rejected the fight and took his show money!
(📹 @btsportufc)
#UFCLiverpool
In the co-main event, top ranked welterweight Neil Magny welcomes short-notice octagon debutant Craig White, who accepted this fight on just twelve days notice.
Craig White has torn through the Cage Warriors welterweight division, picking up four consecutive wins. If you’re looking for entertainment, White is your man! He’s yet to go the distance in his twenty-one fight career!
Neil Magny needs no introduction. He’s competed in the octagon eighteen times in five years, having come through the UFC’s talent cross reality show “The Ultimate Fighter”. Magny has been a mainstay in the welterweight divison and the American is a big favourite on Sunday evening.
There’s no less than seven Brits on the card, with Arnold Allen taking on Danish featherweight Mads Burnell on the main card. Allen is looking to make it four wins from four outings since joining the UFC.
Darren Stewart will hope he can taste victory for the first time in the octagon at the fifth attempt, as he faces Eric Spicely, who is looking to bounce back from consecutive losses on Sunday in the Echo Arena.
Tom Breese returns after almost two years out of action, making the move up to middleweight to take on Australia’s Dan Kelly. Breese’s unbeaten record come to an end back at UFC 199 in June 2016 with the Birmingham man looking to return with a bang.
Brad Scott features against octagon debutant Carlo Pedersoli, who was due to face co-main event Welshman Craig White in a Cage Warriors title bout this summer. Brad Scott is 3-4 in the promotion and the twenty-eight year old will look to improve that record this Sunday.
Popular Liverpudlian “Meatball” Molly McCann makes her promotional debut after a successful spell in Cage Warriors led to her holding the flyweight title. McCann missed weight by one-pound on Saturday morning, leading to a 20% fine and a weight restriction, meaning she must weigh no more than 136lbs at 1PM on fight day.
This event will get loud! Just wait until you hear the reception both Darren Till and Molly McCann get. This could be an incredible night in Liverpool!
Full Fight Card
Main Card (BT Sport at 6PM)
Welterweight Main Event: Stephen Thompson vs. Darren Till
Welterweight: Neil Magny vs. Craig White
Featherweight: Arnold Allen vs. Mads Burnell
Featherweight: Makwan Amirkhani vs. Jason Knight
Welterweight: Claudio Silva vs. Nordine Taleb
Middleweight: Eric Spicely vs. Darren Steward
Prelims (BT Sport at 4PM)
Middleweight: Dan Kelly vs. Tom Breese
Women’s Bantamweight: Lina Lansberg vs. Gina Mazany
Welterweight: Brad Scott vs. Carlo Pedersoli
Women’s Flyweight: Gillian Robertson vs. Molly McCann
Early Prelims (UFC Fight Pass at 3.30PM)
Middleweight: Elias Theodorou vs. Trevor Smith