The UFC’s return to the UK has been postponed as reports confirm that the September 4 event is being relocated from London to the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Darren Till’s homecoming will have to wait. Despite great efforts to return to the UK, the UFC’s Fight Night on September 4 that was tentatively targeted for London has been relocated to the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The event is scheduled to feature UK standout Till against surging contender Derek Brunson. MMA Fighting’s Guilherme Cruz confirmed the news.
The Sept. 4 UFC event has officially been moved from London to Las Vegas, I’m told (@arielhelwani first reported the possibility). As a result, Taila Santos is out of a fight with Mandy Bohm due to visa issues, and Ariane Lipski is in, multiple sources told me.
— Guilherme Cruz (@guicruzzz) August 2, 2021
As the UFC has pushed to re-enter more markets amidst the coronavirus pandemic, a return to the UK would have been the first event outside of the United States and the Fight Island bubble in Abu Dhabi since early 2020. Frequently an annual destination for the UFC, the promotion originally targeted an August 14 date for a return to London. As the date approached and restrictions due to the pandemic persisted, the event was pushed back to September 04. The date will now hold firm with Till facing Brunson in Vegas with a smaller Apex crowd in attendance. It is unclear if the promotion will attempt to return to London until Till, as the most famous active fighter from the UK, is able to compete again following the September 04 event.
Due to visa issues, an undercard bout featuring Taila Santos and Mandy Bohm has been scratched from the event. Instead, Bohm will face Brazil’s Ariane Lipski. Bohm enters the bout with an undefeated 6-0 record while Lipski is looking to bounce back after losses to Antonina Shevchenko and Montana De La Rosa.
Till will be looking to bounce back from a loss to Robert Whittaker last July and a procedure on his broken collarbone that kept him from returning to action earlier. Brunson rides a four fight win-streak going into the bout including victories over Edmen Shahbazyan and short-notice replacement Kevin Holland.
