UFC Fight Night London The Beakdown.
Written By Patrick O'malley.
In Memoriam.
This piece is dedicated to one of my heros who passed away yesterday. Chuck Norris. Chuck wasn't just a star of the big and small screen, he was a skilled martial artist. To some Chuck will be remembered for his role in the TV show Walker Texas Ranger, to me he's the reason why this Sci Fi nerd, got into Martial Arts as a sport, and not just a hobby. His films like. Army Of One. Invasion USA, and. The Delta Force films are bonified classics, whilst his work with Bruce Lee in the 1972 Martial Arts Masterpiece Way Of The Dragon features some of the best fight sequences to ever be committed to celluloid. RIP Chuck, you'll never be forgotten.
Intro.
The UFC Octagon has made it's annual trip over to these shores for UFC Fight London Evloev vs Murphy, and on paper the card didn't exactly thrill me, but when I watched from the comfort of my own room at home, what were the major thoughts that ran through my head, during this piece i'm going to be taking you through a look of how I saw these fights playing out in my head. I love writing these pieces, because it gives me the chance to flex out, and show my understanding of how these fights would play out as they're going on, so sit back, grab a snack, and i'll begin.
Danny Silva vs Kurtis Campbell. Featherweight.
On paper this looked decent, but as the fight went into the trenches of round 1, the fight went from being a cagey affair, to a look at how things could playout. Kurtis relied heavily on his ground game, leaving a gaping hole in his arsenal heading into the second round. During this first round Silva managed to not utilise his striking, but this would change once round 2 started. In the opening stages of round 2, he placed a perfect one two combo that rocked Kurtis, this would lead to him getting the win via TKO. Overall this was a good fight, and a solid way to start the main card.
Roman Dolidze vs Christian Leeroy Duncan. Middleweight.
This was when the card started to exit stage left. And if you ask me it never fully recovered. This fight felt phoned in, and you could tell as the 3 slugged on. Both men failed to utilise their striking, whilst mainly staying close to the ground, this would play out for 3 rounds, leading to Duncan the brit getting the win. I thought that this fight had no life to it, and neither fighter showed me the viewer that they wanted it enough.
Austen Lane vs Iwo Baraniewski. Light Heavyweight.
Just a quick note. Iwo Baraniewski, beat. Austen Lane in under a minute by TKO, this is what you call a one and done situation. Not going to lie his performance was pretty impressive.
Michael Venom Page vs Sam Patterson. Welterweight.
At the end of the year when the fight awards get given out, this one will be on the list for one of the worst. The first was centred around both men trying to find their range, as Venom Page danced around like prime 2010 Anderson Silva, the second round saw Patterson do nothing as Page started to land some punch, and kick combos. Patterson in the third round then realised what he was doing, and started to fight back, but it was too late as Venom Page got the win by decision. I wasn't impressed with either man. I've been a fan of Venom Page for a number of years. I once spent over £1.000 on seeing him fight in London when he was in Bellator back in October of 2021. So seeing him put in a performance like this was nothing short of a disapointment.
Michael Aswell vs Luke Riley. Featherweight.
I've got to admit it, I don't know why this fight got the Co Main slot. This isn't me being disrespectful it's just the fact that both men aren't exactly fan known names like Sam Patterson or Michael Venom Page. I'm not campaigning for that fight to be in that place. I'm just confused as to why the UFC would give this slot to a couple of novices. With that miner rant out of the way. This fight never ignited any excitement in me, and by the reaction of the fans, none of the 20.000 that were attendence felt the same as me judging by how the TV sounded. Luke got the win by decision, besting Aswell in the stand up department for all three rounds. Aswell did turn up his Ground game as the final moments of the round went on, but it was too late.
Lerone Murphy vs Movsar Evloev. Featherweight.
I liked this Fight. Was this Lerone's finest hour, well, no, but he showed a true fighters grit. The first round was focused on both men finding their range. Movsar trying to find an inch to takedown Lerone, whilst Lerone kept things standing. The second round Lerone landed the better shots, as Movsar continued to look for the perfect takedown. Round three saw the Russian find what he was looking for, meaning that Lerone had to dig deep, and keep his head above water, he proved his grit after he took a kick to the family jewels. Movsar did this twice, and was deducted a point from Referee Marc Goddard. I believe it was this moment that caused Movsar to wake up, and he did. In the fourth round he dominated Lerone on the ground. The fifth round played out the same way. Lerone was defending Movsars takedowns, but on this night, he was no might for the Russian who got the win on points. Do I want to see him face Alexander Volkanovsky in the future, if i'm being honest i'm not so sure, because both mens styles are the same, which could make for a boring fight.
Overview Of UFC Fight Night London 2026.
This was a fight card that fell low of the UFC's standards in my opinion. Some fights delivered, whilst others floundered. If i'm being honest this card should be watched through the eyes of a fan who likes slugfests, and not being entertained.
UFC Fight Night London 2026 is by the UFC's Standards a solid 5/10.