A British rising star will get his wish when he returns to action this summer in his home country.
Paddy Pimblett (18-3 MMA, 2-0 UFC) has been booked for a lightweight fight against Jordan Leavitt (10-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) for the UFC’s July return to London. The promotion announced the new booking Friday ahead of the on-sale date for tickets to the event.
The UFC London card, expected to be a Fight Night event, takes place July 23 at The O2. The card will stream on ESPN+.
Pimblett, a former Cage Warriors champion, made his highly anticipated UFC debut in September 2021 and finished Luigi Vendramini in the first round for a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus. When the UFC returned to London in March, he had one of the night’s most electrifying performances, along with Liverpool-based teammate Molly McCann, and picked up a bonus for a first-round submission of Rodrigo Vargas.
The UFC’s return to London in March was its first event there in three years. It featured nine finishes in 12 fights and caused UFC president Dana White to announce the promotion would rearrange its 2022 schedule to return quicker than originally planned. Pimblett’s inclusion on that return was thought to be all but a certainty, and now it’s official.
Leavitt earned his way into the UFC with a first-round submission on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2020. When he made his promotional debut later that year, he stunned Matt Wiman with a slam knockout in just 22 seconds and picked up a $50,000 bonus. After a decision loss to Claudio Puelles in June 2021, the first setback of his career, he rebounded with a submission of Matt Sayles and, most recently, a split decision win over Trey Ogden in April.
With the addition, the UFC London lineup now includes:
- Curtis Blaydes vs. Tom Aspinall
- Jack Hermansson vs. Darren Till
- Charles Johnson vs. Muhammad Mokaev
- Alexander Gustafsson vs. Nikita Krylov
- Hannah Goldy vs. Molly McCann
- Paul Craig vs. Volkan Oezdemir
- Makwan Amirkhani vs. Jonathan Pearce
- Marc Diakiese vs. Damir Hadzovic
- Jordan Leavitt vs. Paddy Pimblett