Former UFC Champion Returns In Blockbuster Main Event At UFC London

The return of former UFC welterweight champion Leon “Rocky” Edwards is locked in, and the UK-based fighter is getting a home game.

Multiple outlets reported that Edwards will face Jack Della Maddalena in his first fight since losing his title to Belal Muhammad in July. The fight will take place on March 9 and will headline UFC London at the O2 Arena.

Edwards vs. Maddalena will serve as the show’s main event, and so far, UFC London is looking strong on paper.

Here is a look at the fights expected to be part of the UFC London card, per Tapology:

• Leon Edwards vs. Jack Della Maddalena – Welterweight (170 lbs)
• Marcin Tybura vs. Mick Parkin – Heavyweight (265 lbs)
• Jan Błachowicz vs. Carlos Ulberg – Light Heavyweight (205 lbs)
• Alonzo Menifield vs. Oumar Sy – Light Heavyweight (205 lbs)
• Shauna Bannon vs. Puja Tomar – Strawweight (115 lbs)
• Andrey Pulyaev vs. Christian Leroy Duncan – Middleweight (185 lbs)
• Molly McCann vs. Istela Nunes – Strawweight (115 lbs)
• Nathaniel Wood vs. Morgan Charrière – Featherweight (145 lbs)
• Caolan Loughran vs. Nathan Fletcher – Bantamweight

Edwards was on an impressive 13-fight unbeaten streak, which included back-to-back wins over Kamaru Usman and a satisfying victory over Colby Covington.

However, when Edwards rematched Muhammad—after their first fight ended in a no contest following an eye poke that left Muhammad unable to continue—Rocky was no match for his rival’s mix of timely boxing and elite wrestling.

Edwards will be looking to get back on the winning track against Maddalena.

Speaking of streaks, Maddalena's current 17-fight win streak is one of the longest in the sport. Most recently, Maddalena scored an impressive third-round TKO win over Gilbert Burns in March 2024.

When Edwards and Maddalena clash, the fight could be contested in a variety of ways. Both men have the skill set to put on an entertaining stand-up battle. However, Edwards’ wrestling has improved, so he could elect to push for a grapple-heavy fight because that is considered Maddalena’s weakness.

We could also see a fight that features a mixture of the two styles.

What's Next for the UFC?

The first PPV of 2025 is almost here. UFC 311 features two championship bouts. In the main event, Islam Makhachev will defend his UFC lightweight title against Arman Tsarukyan. In the co-main event, UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili defends his title against Umar Nurmagomedov.

Here is a look at the card, which is still scheduled to take place on Saturday, January 18, at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California—despite the California wildfires that have done tons of damage to surrounding areas.

UFC 311 Main Card (10:00 PM ET on ESPN+ Pay-Per-View)

• Lightweight Title Bout: Islam Makhachev (Champion) vs. (1) Arman Tsarukyan
• Bantamweight Title Bout: Merab Dvalishvili (Champion) vs. (2) Umar Nurmagomedov
• Lightweight Bout: (9) Beneil Dariush vs. (10) Renato Moicano
• Light Heavyweight Bout: (2) Jiří Procházka vs. (3) Jamahal Hill
• Middleweight Bout: Kevin Holland vs. Reinier de Ridder

UFC 311 Preliminary Card (8:00 PM ET on ESPNEWS & ESPN+)

• Light Heavyweight Bout: (13) Bogdan Guskov vs. Billy Elekana
• Bantamweight Bout: Payton Talbott vs. Raoni Barcelos
• Heavyweight Bout: (6) Jailton Almeida vs. (7) Serghei Spivac
• Middleweight Bout: Zach Reese vs. Sedriques Dumas

UFC 311 Early Preliminary Card (6:00 PM EST on UFC Fight Pass)

• Lightweight Bout: Grant Dawson vs. Diego Ferreira
• Women’s Bantamweight Bout: Karol Rosa vs. Ailín Pérez
• Bantamweight Bout: Rinya Nakamura vs. Muin Gafurov
• Bantamweight Bout: Ricky Turcios vs. Benardo Sopaj
• Flyweight Bout: (11) Tagir Ulanbekov vs. Clayton Carpenter