On the first UFC card held in London, Ian Freeman and Mark Weir introduced themselves to the wider MMA audience by registering first-round stoppage wins over Frank Mir and Eugene Jackson, respectively.
More than a dozen years later, as the UFC readies to once again take over The O2 Arena in London, Freeman’s daughter Kennedy is one of the top rising stars in the sport, having captured the Cage Warriors bantamweight title in November, while Weir will be in the corner of his protege, Christian Leroy Duncan, on Saturday night.
Over the 15 events to take place between that debut show at Royal Albert Hall and Saturday’s Fight Night event headlined by former welterweight champ Leon Edwards taking on American contender Sean Brady, UFC events in London have served as the launch pad for standouts like Michael Bisping, Dan Hardy, Gunnar Nelson, Arnold Allen, and interim heavyweight champ Tom Aspinall, amongst others.