UFC London: A big night for Irish MMA
Michael Bolton
As the UFC makes its return to London, two Irish fighters will hope to leave England with their hands raised.
Shauna Bannon and Caolan Loughran will aim to start their 2025 with victories in their respective bouts, as they feature on the prelims on Saturday night.
In the women's strawweight division, Dublin fighter Bannon will hope to build on her first UFC win when she takes on Puja Tomar.
Bannon's last fight was a split-decision win over Alice Ardelean at UFC 304 in Manchester last July.
Bannon's UFC career began with a decision loss in London back in 2023, and has admitted her struggles in the year that followed. However, now back fully fit, expect an improved Bannon on Saturday.
The Tallaght fighter will use her kickboxing as the path to victory, with kicks to keep her distance and finish off combinations. She has shown she is not afraid to show her submission game when needed.
In the men's bantamweight division, Caolan Loughran will hope to turn around his fortunes when he takes on Nathan Fletcher.
After defeat to Jake Hadley at UFC 304, the Tyrone man is 1-2 in the UFC, will last-minute matchups in his previous bouts not helping.
Loughran's pressure and grappling make him a dangerous opponent for anyone, but just has not had luck his way. A win in an extremely competitive division is just what he needs to start his year.
In his amateur days, he lost to Fletcher, who has seven of his nine wins through submissions and will be constantly looking for a finish on home soil.
The main event will see Leon Edwards take on Sean Brady in the welterweight division.
Edwards has not fought since losing his title to Belal Muhammad at UFC 304, a performance that was underwhelming for his standards.
A win for Edwards would put him back in the title picture, with Muhammad defending his title against Jack Della Maddalena in May.
However, Brady will be no easy task, with his last fight a win over former title challenger Gilbert Burns.
Brady will pressure Edwards with his wrestling and grappling, in what would be the biggest win of his career against Edwards.
Expect the former champion to be more aggressive, and remind people why he is still one of the most dangerous fighters at 170 pounds.
Elsewhere on the card, the co-main event will see former light-heavyweight champion Jan Błachowicz return from injury as he takes on Carlos Ulberg.
Błachowicz's last fight was a split-decision loss to Alex Pereira in August 2023. With unfinished business against new champion Magomed Ankalaev, an impressive win could put him back in the title picture.
However, with seven wins in a row, Ulberg will be now easy task.
The card will also feature fan favourites such as Molly McCann, Kevin Holland and Nathaniel Wood, with the prelims featuring Bannon and Loughran starting at 4pm.