5 fighters most likely to be the next British UFC champion
There are numerous elite fighters who hail from the United Kingdom, both past and present. However, there has only ever been one British UFC champion, in England's Michael 'The Count' Bisping.
Another English fighter, Dan Hardy, competed for the welterweight title in 2010. Unfortunately, the champion at the time was Georges St-Pierre, one of the all-time MMA greats, who dominated Hardy for five rounds.
However, there is currently a new crop of fighters hailing from England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland that all have the goal of becoming the second British champion in UFC history.
In the following list we take a look at some fighters who have the greatest chance of doing so. It's worth noting that a few young prospects like Jack Shore, Mason Jones and Cory McKenna may well come under this category in the years to come.
#5 Tom Aspinall - UFC heavyweight
Still just three fights into his UFC career, Liverpool's Tom Aspinall is already ranked thirteenth in the heavyweight division. He made his debut in 2020, knocking out Jake Collier in just 45 seconds. The emphatic debut was followed up by another first-round KO over Alan Badout just three months later.
In 2021, Aspinall showed that he is not only a heavy hitter, as he submitted former heavyweight champion and perennial gatekeeper Andrei Arlovski by way of a rear-naked choke.
Apinall is a former ameteur boxer as well as a BJJ black belt. He trains out of Team Kaobon with another famous Liverpudlian who may well feature later on this list. Aspinall now needs a win against a top 10 opponent in order to prove he truly is future champion material.
#4 Paul Craig - UFC light heavyweight
Scotland's Paul Craig put on one of the most impressive performances of his career at UFC 263. Despite being a heavy betting underdog, the Scot defeated one of the brightest prospects at 205-pounds, Jamahal Hill, in only one round. Not only did he defeat Hill but he did it in an incredibly brutal manner, dislocating his elbow with an armbar before landing viscous elbows to finally force the stoppage.
Craig is now the twelfth-ranked UFC light heavyweight. He already holds victories against high-level opposition such as Magomed Ankalaev and Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua. Should he continue to put on such impressive performances, a title shot for Craig is certainly a possibility in 2022.
#3 Arnold Allen - UFC featherweight
One of the most underrated fighters in the UFC is England's Arnold Allen. He's put together a 10-fight winning streak, having defeated the likes of Makwan Amirkhani, Sodiq Yusuff and Nik Lentz.
Currently ranked seventh in the the 145-pound division, Allen will likely break into the top five should he pick up one more victory. Josh Emmett and Calvin Kattar are possible options for Allen's next opponent. A win against either man would put Allen within touching distance of the featherweight belt.
#2 Darren Till - UFC middleweight
One of the UK's most well known representatives in the UFC octagon, Darren Till, came up short in his first title shot. 'The Gorilla' was submitted by Tyron Woodley in 2018. However, he has since made the move up to middleweight, where he has already begun to cultivate a rivalry with current champion Israel Adesanya.
Till was able to defeat Kelvin Gastelum in his middleweight debut. But he did come up short against Robert Whittaker last time out. He is now scheduled to face top contender Derek Brunson in September. An emphatic win here could see him fight for gold by the end of the year or in 2022.
#1 Leon Edwards - UFC welterweight
UFC welterweight Leon Edwards recently put on a five-round clinic against Nate Diaz at UFC 263. Ideally, Edwards' next fight will be against the winner of Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington, who are set to fight for the 170-pound title next. But if he is wishes to remain active, a fight against Jorge Masvidal may be a viable next step.
Either way, should things go well for Edwards, he may well end the year with UFC gold, or at the very least a guaranteed title shot for early 2022. Edwards has one of the most well rounded skill sets in the division and has an undeniable chance of becoming Britain's next UFC champion.
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