UFC London fight card revealed as Lerone Murphy faces Movsar Evloev in crucial match-up

Lerone Murphy will fight Movsar Evloev in the main event of UFC London, it has been announced, as the featherweights prepare to clash on 21 March for a shot at champion Alexander Volkanovski.

The news was confirmed on Monday after much speculation, and just two days after Volkanovski called for a fight with either man as his next title defence.

Volkanovski made clear his desire to face Murphy or Evloev, both of whom are unbeaten, in the wake of his second win over Diego Lopes. The Australian champion outpointed Lopes in Sydney on Saturday – nine months after beating the Brazilian in the same manner – to extend his second reign with the belt.

And it is expected that his next challenger will be Manchester’s Murphy (17-0-1), who is riding a nine-fight win streak dating back to a draw in 2019, or Russia’s Evloev, who is 19-0 overall and 9-0 in the UFC.

Last time out, Murphy beat Aaron Pico in the latter’s UFC debut, stopping the former Bellator star with a stunning spinning back elbow in August. And Evloev has not fought since December 2024 due to injury, with a narrow points win over Aljamain Sterling marking his most-recent outing.

As well as that win over Sterling, a former bantamweight champion, Evloev holds victories over Lopes and British talent Arnold Allen. Meanwhile, Murphy’s past standout wins have come against former interim-title challenger Josh Emmett and veteran Edson Barboza.

Murphy, as expected, will not be the only British fighter competing at the O2 Arena. The card is stacked with homegrown talent, including: Paddy Pimblett’s teammates Luke Riley and Shem Rock; middleweight and welterweight contender Michael “Venom” Page; fan favourite Nathaniel Wood; and rising heavyweights Mick Parkin and Mario Pinto.

Lerone Murphy knocked out Aaron Pico in stunning fashion in August (Getty Images)

Pinto, who also represents Portugal, will face Parkin, while Page also competes in an all-British bout with Sam Patterson at 170lb. Meanwhile, Riley faces US featherweight Michael Aswell, and Rock fights Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady at lightweight. Wood will take on Losene Keita at featherweight.

Tickets for UFC London will go on general sale via AXS on 6 February. However, fans can register their interest in advance and receive priority access on 5 February. Fight Club members can get even-earlier access on 4 February.